§ 68. Mr. COWANasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to a memorial by the stewards of His Majesty's Prison Department (Scotland), submitting an application to His Majesty's Prison Commissioners for Scotland, desiring to be placed on the same scale of pay and allowances as storekeepers or stewards in the English prison service holding the same rank; and whether, seeing that there are only four Scottish prison stewards in question and that the total amount asked for does not exceed £40 per annum, while the cost of living is not appreciably lower in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Peterhead, than in England, he will recommend that the application should be granted?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Masterman)I am aware of the petition referred to by my hon. Friend, but I find that these officers' scales of salary were substantially increased in 1910. I am not satisfied that a further increase is necessary, having regard to the higher average figures of prison population in England as compared with Scotland.
§ Mr. COWANWould the right hon. Gentleman kindly explain what the higher prison population has got to do with the cost of living in Scotland as compared with England?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI do not think it has anything to do with the cost of living, but it has some relation to the work done.