§ MR. FELL (Great Yarmouth)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, if, in view of the fact that the Commercial Labour and Statistical Department of the Board of Trade comprises a labour commissioner, an assistant labour commissioner, a chief labour correspondent, nine investigators and labour correspondents, and three assistants for special inquiries, he will arrange for one at least of these officials to take in hand the case of the mechanics discharged from Woolwich Arsenal who have taken contracts to work for a firm at Dresden, Germany, for upwards of twelve months, to advise and assist them as far as possible in their attempts to obtain work, and to supply thorn with the names of the other firms in Germany who are said to be anxious to engage them.
§ MR. LLOYD-GEORGEIt is the duty of the Labour Department of the Board of Trade to watch and report on general changes in the state of employment, but it is no part of the functions of the officials of the Department to assist individual workmen to obtain work, and the Department has no organisation for the purpose.