78. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give instructions that the Labour Exchanges shall refuse to accept applications from employers which are accompanied by an intimation that only workmen of a particular religious belief will be employed?
§ Mr. PRETYMANIt is, I think, undesirable that the Employment Exchanges should assume the responsibility of determining whether the conditions attached by employers or workmen to their appli- 1302 cations are reasonable. It is the duty of the Exchanges to communicate to applicants for employment all the conditions attached to any vacancy for which the applicants appear to be suitable, and it is for the individual applicant, and not for the Exchange, to decide whether, in view of any particular condition, the employment can be accepted. In the case of a condition such as that referred to here, the Exchange would not, of course, undertake any responsibility for seeing that the applicant fulfilled that condition.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTWhile that is true in general conditions of employment, is it not desirable that a public Department should dissociate itself from any attempt on the part of private firms to practise religious persecution?
§ Mr. PRETYMANIt does not associate itself with any such practice.
Mr. PR INGLEShould a public Department be the agent for an employer who is imposing religious tests?
§ Mr. PRETYMANThe Department is not the agent.
§ Mr. PRINGLEIf it finds employés for the man it is making itself his agent.
§ Mr. PRETYMANThe Board of Trade have just the control over the agent of the workmen as the agent of the employer.