§ 42. Mr. T. RICHARDSONasked whether there has been any objection on the part of the conscientious objectors detailed for road making in Clare, Suffolk, on the grounds that they were being employed on work of an entirely military character, and that, so far from the Government's pledge that they should be under civil control being carried out, military orderlies are in attendance and the men are to all intents and purposes soldiers?
§ Mr. BRACEThe men employed at Clare, being misled by a newspaper extract, wrote a letter protesting against being employed on a military road. This statement is entirely inaccurate. The road is one of the existing county main roads of Suffolk. It is in no sense a military 2257 road, and is not used and is not intended to be used for military traffic of any kind. The men themselves supply all the orderlies necessary, and there are no troops of any kind within many miles of the place. The engineer and foremen of the Road Board, who control the work, are all civilians.