§ 91 Mr. DEVLINasked the Minister of Labour (1) whether he is aware that the Roan Spinning Company, 530 Coalisland, county Tyrone, pay their workers at a rate considerably lower than the standard paid by the firms in the Ulster Spinning Association; whether, notwithstanding that the work of this firm has increased considerably as a result of the War, they have made only trifling increases to their workers; whether, as this is a registered company who have their books annually audited, there is any difficulty in ascertaining and verifying the increased profits that they have been making since the outbreak of the War; if so, whether the Ministry of Labour will appoint an inspector with powers to examine and report on the increased profits made by the firm; (2) if the Roan Spinning Company Coalisland, county Tyrone, are engaged on Government contract work; whether, if they are not directly engaged on such work, they are largely supplying other firms in Ulster who are engaged on Government work and are thus indirectly doing Government work; whether he will call for an inspection of their books and balance sheet with a view to determining whether they are engaged on Government work and thus come within the province of the Ministry of Labour; (3) whether his attention has been called to the dispute between the Roan Spinning Company, Coalisland, county Tyrone, and their workers; whether the demand of the employés of this firm for a standard wage has been refused and the mill closed down for the past five weeks, throwing 300 workers out of employment, and causing them and their families privations and suffering; whether he is aware that a number of these workers have sons and relatives at the front; whether he will take action to bring the strike to an end; (4) whether the workers who are now on strike in the Roan Spinning Company, Coalisland, county Tyrone, have consented to submit their case to arbitration, and have communicated this willingness to the Board of Trade and to the Committee of Production; and, if so, whether the Ministry of Labour will appoint an arbitrator to adjudicate and settle this dispute which is causing suffering and loss to the community in general in Coalisland?
§ Mr. HODGEAn officer of the Chief Industrial Commissioner's Department has been sent to Ireland to deal with this dispute locally, with a view to bringing about a settlement.