§ MR. S. WOODSI beg to ask the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the appointments made in reference to the dispute existing in the Dockyards between the fitters, boiler makers, joiners, and blacksmiths, in regard to the proposed arbitration to lay down lines of demarcation between the said trades, is not giving satisfaction to the workmen concerned; will he explain why, although the First Lord of the 1544 Admiralty promised certain deputations that the arbitrators should be independent experts, the arbitrators who have been appointed belong to the official staff of the Government, and no one has been appointed from the ranks of the workmen; whether he is aware that the workmen have already made protests against the present composition of this Board of Arbitrators; and if he is able to extend the appointment of these arbitrators so as to include two representatives from the workmen interested in this arbitration.
§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSONWe have reason to believe that the scheme suggested and adopted by the Admiralty has given general satisfaction, although some details have been adversely criticised by certain trades. According to the plan (which was originally suggested by representatives of the two principal trades) the question of demarcation is to be settled by the Director of Dockyards, who is to be assisted by four independent experts as assessors. Not one of the four assessors can be described as belonging to the official staff of the Government. Two have been, but are no longer, and will never again be, in the service of the Government; and they were selected on account of their long experience of dockyard business and in response to representations from the dockyards. The other two have never been in the service of the Government. All four are competent and independent experts. It has never been suggested that the assessors should be chosen from the ranks of the workmen, but they will have every opportunity of stating their case before the arbitrator and his assessors.