§ 113. Mr. BRIDGEMANasked if in the Land Valuation Department at Shrewsbury about sixteen men applied for leave in September last to join the Army; if seven of them were refused leave, and have now been warned that their services will no longer be needed; if four of the number have already been discharged; and why any of them were refused leave to enlist in September?
§ Mr. ACLANDIn September last permission to join His Majesty's forces was granted to nine members of the Shrewsbury Valuation Office out of sixteen applicants. Of the seven to whom permission was refused two have been given notice of the termination of their engagement, the notice having up to the present taken effect in the case of one of these gentlemen. As regards the last part of the hon. Member's question, I would refer him to my reply of the 20th ultimo to my hon. Friend the Member for Haggerston, of which I am sending him a copy.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANMay I ask if the Department, being aware that the services of these men would only be required for a very short time, could not have allowed them to enlist as they wished to do?
§ Mr. ACLANDThere was full work from the month of September till about the month of April, and the necessary staff had to be retained for the purpose.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANWill those who join now be treated in the same way as those allowed to join at that time in the matter of having their pay made up to what they were receiving before?
§ Mr. ACLANDOnly those can be paid during the time they are fighting for whom there is a prospect of engagement when they come back.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANWere they prevented from fighting merely to save a few shillings to the Government?
§ Mr. ACLANDCertainly not, as many as could be allowed to go were allowed to go. Twenty-five per cent. of the whole staff, amounting to over a thousand, were allowed to go. For the rest, there was work that had to be done. When that work came to an end owing to the completion of the valuation, unfortunately a considerable proportion of those engaged temporarily had to be dispensed with.
§ Mr. RAWLINSONIs it the fact that the men reduced were men outside military age, so leaving those who are inside military age?
§ Mr. ACLANDNo, Sir; exactly the contrary instructions were given, that the persons to be reduced were, if possible, to be men of military age and unmarried.
§ Mr. RAWLINSONCan I give a case?
§ Mr. ACLANDCertainly.