§ MR. CROOKS (Woolwich)I beg to ask a Question, of which I have given oral notice, viz., What steps the Secretary of State for war proposes to take with regard to the notices of dismissal given to between twenty and thirty workmen of the engineers' section of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich—most of whom are old servants and some with twenty years service—having regard to the pledge which has been given both inside the House and outside that no more discharge will take place, but that the reduction to reach the minimum will be by natural shrinkage.
§ THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ACLAND, Yorkshire, Richmond)The hon. Member gave me notice of the Question only an hour since, and the hour between one and two is not the most convenient for obtaining accurate and full information from Woolwich. I have therefore, not been able to find out whether the notices have been given, but if they have been given it is an error. There is no intention of departing from the pledge that the minimum shall be reached by wastage and not by further discharges. I will send the hon. Member information this afternoon as to exactly what has occurred.