§ The following question stood in the name of Mr. NUGENT:
§ 76. To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that discontent exists amongst the members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police because of the inadequacy of their present wages; whether a demand has been made by the men for an advance of 12s. per week, with an addition of 4s. per week as war bonus, to date from the commencement of the War, in order to bring the present inadequate rate of pay up to a living wage; whether he is aware that meetings of the men have been held and that feeling amongst them is very excited and irritated over this matter; whether he will state when the last increase in wages was given to the Dublin Metropolitan Police; what the income received from the Dublin police rate totalled at the time that the increase was made; what was the actual cost of maintenance of the force at that time; what the income from the police rate is to-day and what is the present outlay; whether he is aware that Major Price, ex-Royal Irish Constabulary 1683 officer and adviser of Sir John Maxwell, has put forward a scheme to bring the Dublin Metropolitan Police directly under the control of the Royal Irish Constabulary; whether he can name any city in the United Kingdom with a similar population to Dublin which has not control of its own separate police force; and if he will explain why Dublin is treated differently in this matter to any other city in the United Kingdom?
Mr. SAMUELI am informed that the hon. Member received warning of the postponement. I shall be very much obliged to the hon. Gentleman if he will postpone it.
Mr. NUGENTI shall be very happy to oblige the right hon. Gentleman by postponing it, but I may say that his messenger is just as unreliable as his information.