§ MR. C. SHAW (Stafford)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that recently, and for the first time, the usual forms of tender for certain hardware stores for the use of the Navy have been accompanied by an official Circular to the effect that all goods tendered for must be wholly produced on the premises of the contractor, and that the wages paid to the workmen must be at the usual average rate paid in the district for adult labor in that class of work; and whether he will undertake that similar notices shall accompany all tender forms in the future in respect to Navy boots?
THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Sir U. KAY-SHUTTLEWORTH,) Lancashire, ClitheroeIn the case of contracts for locks, the Admiralty have found it necessary to guard against evils disclosed by inquiries which they made last year by requiring all the locks to be wholly manufactured upon the premises of the firm tendering. It does not follow that a similar stipulation is necessary in other cases—for example, the case of boots. The greater part of the work on Navy boots is done in factories. But in Northamptonshire and 377 other districts it has long been the custom to employ outworkers to do a certain portion of the work Such information as we possess points to the conclusion that the circumstances under which this is done are not unsatisfactory, and are totally different from those which proved objectionable in the lock trade. The Admiralty do not, therefore, propose to issue any notice.