§ 55. Mr. MOLTENOasked the Minister of Munitions whether his attention has been drawn to a case heard at West Ham Police Court on Saturday, 1st January, when it was stated that a lad of sixteen who was engaged at Woolwich Arsenal was earning 28s. a week for night work and 22s. for day work, while a lad a year younger was paid £1 a week for night work and 18s. for day work; if he will state what was the nature of the work and the hours worked by the boys in question for which wages of 50s. and 38s. per week were earned by boys of sixteen years of age and under; and whether other boys of a similar age are earning similar wages at Woolwich?
§ Dr. ADDISONMy right hon. Friend's attention has not been drawn to the cases referred to, and the information given in the question is not sufficiently definite to enable him to trace them. Generally speaking, the wages earned by lads between fourteen and seventeen years of age, who are usually engaged on repetition work and paid by the piece, fall within the range of 15s. to 30s. when on day-shift, and 20s. to 35s. on night-shift, the actual hours worked being usually about sixty-three per week. Of course, as the work is necessarily done by piece-work, there are individual cases of earnings below or above these ranges, and in some few instances as much as 50s. has been earned in a week.