§ 14. Sir FORTESCUE FLANNERYasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to 1310 the case of J. Blundell, who, being in regular employment in Birmingham, was, as has been alleged, approached at his home by an official of the Labour Exchange named Long and solicited to leave his employment in order to enter other employment; whether there is any record in the Labour Exchange at Birmingham of applications from Blundell prior to the 7th January, 1915, the date when he was solicited; and whether it is with the sanction of the Board of Trade that officials should interfere, either of their own initiative or otherwise, in cases of men already in regular employment?
Mr. ROBERTSONMy attention has been called to the matter referred to. It is not the case, as alleged, that the workman in question was in any way solicited by a Labour Exchange official to leave his employment. Having on two previous occasions, on his own initiative, spoken to officials of the Labour Exchange of his desire to obtain other employment, he registered for such employment on the 7th January and was duly submitted to another employer. With reference to the last part of the question, I may say that workpeople are not precluded from registering at the Labour Exchanges on the ground that they are already in employment, but the managers of Labour Exchanges in offering-vacancies to workpeople, naturally give a preference to those who are out of employment.