§ 9. Colonel W. THORNEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is the intention of the Government to work the 378 Chepstow shipbuilding yard under their own control or whether it is to be worked under private enterprise; and, if it is to be worked under Government control, will he state how it is to be managed, and whether the men to be employed are to be soldiers or civilians?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAIt is the intention of the Government to work the Chepstow Yard during the period of the War under their own control. Mr. Noel Peck, late managing director of Messrs. Barclay, Curie, and director of Messrs. Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, Limited, and the North of Ireland Shipbuilding Company, has been sent down to Chepstow as Director of Shipbuilding to manage the yard, and will have associated with him other experienced shipbuilders. The question as to the status of the personnel has not yet been definitely settled.
Mr. CHANCELLORIs it proposed after the War to hand these national ship yards over to private owners?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAIf the hon. Gentleman will look at the answer I gave on 15th November, he will see that the last paragraph answers his question.
§ Colonel THORNEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is a very strong rumour about that the men who are going to be employed here will be soldiers; if that is so, are we to understand that they will get the full and proper rates of the men employed in the other shipyards?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe yards, that is the slips, are being built by prisoners of war and soldiers. As to ship construction, perhaps the hon. Gentleman would put a question down.
§ 10. Mr. GEORGE LAMBERTasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if the Admiralty has taken over a shipbuilding yard at Chepstow from a company of which Lord Inchcape was chairman; whether that company arranged to have two ships laid down last October and two more in March last; who are the officials responsible for preventing a private company from utilising this yard and placing its resources under the influence of Government control; and whether such officials are still managing the shipbuilding facilities at Chepstow?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. Whatever the company's intention may have been with regard to laying down 379 ships in October last, when the Admiralty took over on the 31st August, 1917, all prospect of having two slips ready by October, 1917, had vanished, as only 620 piles out of the 1,350 required for them had been driven. The company's own engineer, on the 25th July, 1917, stated the dates for completion of the two most forward berths as three months and four months respectively, and the rest as six, eight, and twelve months, from the time when an additional 200 men should be obtained. That additional labour had not been obtained in July, 1917, and was not obtained until after the Admiralty had taken possession. The principal reason that influenced the Government in taking over the yard was that; the contractors could not get sufficient men on the work. Since the Admiralty has taken over, the difficulty of housing the labour has been taken vigorously in hand, hutting accommodation for 1,600 men has already been completed. Berths Nos. 1 and 2 are complete, and other work in the yard is progressing satisfactorily. As regards the third part of the question, I must take exception to the implication that by our action progress in new merchant output has been prejudiced. From the earlier part of my answer my hon. Friend will see that this is not so. As regards the final part of the question, I have just stated the facts in the answer I have given my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham, South.
§ Mr. LAMBERTIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that Lord Inchcape sent a letter to the "Times," which was published on 25th March, stating distinctly that work had been delayed, and also that he would have had two ships laid down in these slips in October last?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAYes, I saw the letter, and, if my hon. Friend will forgive me, I recognize the question as, in substance, based on that letter. The letter is receiving attention, and I believe the First Lord will, if he has not already done so, reply on the facts to Lord Inchcape.