68. Captain MORRISON-BELLasked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is the policy of the Chief Industrial Commissioner's Department to make inquiries in a trade dispute before being asked to intervene by both sides; whether he will explain why the Department, with a view to obtaining information as regards the existing dispute at Trusham, in the county of Devon, entirely ignored the chief company affected; and whether, with the view of retaining the confidence of the employers in the impartiality of the Department, he will see that such intervention in industrial disputes is not repeated?
§ Mr. BURNSThe Chief Industrial Commissioner's Department exercise, when they think it expedient, the powers conferred on the Board of Trade by Section 2 (1) of the Conciliation Act of 1896, and I see no reason for limiting the discretion conferred by these statutory powers. With regard to the second part of the question, the Department were unaware until the inquiry had been made that the company to which the question presumably refers was the chief company affected by the dispute.
§ Mr. BURNSAs a rule they are very careful and accurate in their investigations. In this particular case, the smaller firm was appealed to first, and immediately inquiries were prosecuted and the larger firm was communicated with.
§ Mr. W. THORNEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the company mentioned in this question have offered their men one farthing per hour on condition that they will sign this agreement terminating in November?