§ MR. W. T. WILSON (Lancashire, Westhoughton)To ask the Postmaster-General whether firms that pay from 1s. to 7s. per week less than the standard rate of wage to their employees are invited to tender for work in connection with his Department; whether the tenders of such firms are accepted, providing they agree to pay the standard rate to the workmen directly employed on such contracts; and whether firms 1145 that conduct their business on these lines are complying with the fair wages clause inserted in Government contracts.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The fair wages clause relates expressly to work performed under the contract, and to that alone, and does not enable me to control the wages paid by a contractor for other work. At the same time, if it came to my knowledge that a firm was habitually paying low wages in connection with its private work compared with the rate which it was paying under Post Office contract, I should take that fact into consideration when assigning further contracts.