§ MR. HUNT (Shropshire, Ludlow)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that the Government contractor for the Keyham Harbour works is purchasing the granite required from Norway, instead of in this country, because the Norwegian workmen will work for about half the wages required by British men, he proposes to take any steps to compel the Norwegian employers who are providing this granite to give the recognised trades union rates of wages, according to the resolution passed some time ago in the House.
§ MR. HUNTMay I ask how men who lose their employment through this unfair foreign competition are going to have work found for them?
§ MR. J. WARD (Stoke-on-Trent)Is it not a fact that the granite in Norway cannot be produced, so far as the cost of labour is concerned, any cheaper than in Cornwall, and that the whole difference in cost is the freightage over our privately-owned railways?
§ MR. LEIF JONES (Westmoreland, Appleby)Is it not the case that two-thirds of the granite used at Keyham harbour works is British, and only one-third foreign?
§ MR. CHARLES DEVLIN (Galway)Galway granite is the best.
§ MR. LAMBERTI would ask for notice of the Questions put by the hon. Members for Westmoreland and Stoke-on-Trent. As regards the supplementary inquiry put by the hon. Member for Ludlow, the question itself shows that British workmen are taking care of themselves, considering that their wages are double those paid in Norway.
§ MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N.)I cannot allow an advertisement of Galway granite to pass without mentioning Aberdeen granite.
§ MR. SPEAKERThe hon. Member knows perfectly well that no statements are allowed at Question time.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMOND (Clare, E.)May I ask Mr. Lambert whether, when he is in considering the material for this work he will bear in mind the fact that the best and cheapest stone in the world is in my constituency?