§ 103. Mr. PRINGLEasked the Minister of Munitions how many men of military age previously unskilled in munitions work have been engaged for that work since 14th August, 1915, in the works of Messrs. Armstrong at Alexandria, Dumbartonshire?
§ Dr. ADDISONI regret that I am not in a position to give the information asked for in this question.
§ Mr. PRINGLEWill my hon. Friend make inquiries?
§ Dr. ADDISONThere have been inquiries, but it is rather difficult to get individual returns like this, and when people are busy I hesitate to ask for them.
§ Sir A. MARKHAMIs it not very desirable that the House should have this information, seeing that numbers of single young men, in order to escape enlistment, have gone into these munition works?
§ Dr. ADDISONThat may be so, but we cannot single out individual firms. If a return were wanted it would have to be obtained from all firms, and that would entail an amount of labour which I should hesitate to impose on them.
§ Mr. PRINGLEIs not this a special case, which has become a by-word in the whole locality?
§ Dr. ADDISONI have no knowledge of that.