§ 1. Sir REGINALD POLE-CAREWasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that, so far from 23s. a week being given to ordinary labourers in the stores department at Bull Point when employed on special duty or work only, some of these men with only twelve months' service are drawing this amount weekly, and are eligible for 24s., while others with ten years' service, four or five of which they had passed in the stores department, are only receiving 22s. a week; and whether he will explain this treatment?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY of the ADMIRALTY (Dr. Macnamara)I must refer the hon. and gallant Gentleman to my replies to questions on the same subject on the 11th and 18th December. Two labourers at Bull Point Depot, one with a few days less than twelve months' service, and one with slightly more than twelve months' service, receive the special allowance of 1s. per week, and are eligible for 2s. per week. The men in receipt of this allowance have been selected as most suitable for the superior work in hand. The statement in the latter part of the question may be correct, but the explanation is to be found in the first part of this answer.
§ 2. Sir R. POLE-CAREWasked the First Lord of the Admiralty why, although under the regulations skilled labourers at Bull Point receive 23s. a week and are eligible to rise to 28s., no man at Bull Point has been promoted to the higher rate for the last seven years; and whether he will explain this, as, under the present system, it would appear that unskilled labourers actually draw a higher rate of pay than the skilled?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe statement of the hon. and gallant Gentleman is not correct. During the past seven years thirty-eight skilled labourers have been granted the maximum of the scale of pay for that grade, namely, 28s. per week in the case of hired men, or 26s. 6d. per week in the case of established men. At the present time forty out of a total of 154 skilled labourers at Bull Point are on the maximum of the scale.