§ 93. Mr. BOWERMANasked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been drawn to correspondence between his Department and the Enfield Trades Council with reference to the filling of two vacancies on the Enfield Urban District Council; whether the vacancies were caused by the resignation of two Labour members whose candidature in the first instance had been promoted by the Trades Council; that the Urban District Council have co-opted a publican and a retired builder to fill the vacancies and refuse to recognise the claim of the Trades Council to have Labour substitutes; and whether he will make representations to the Urban District Council with a view to the truce being loyally observed on the lines laid down by his predecessor in 1915?
Mr. WALSHMy right hon. Friend's attention has been drawn to this matter, and he has been in communication with the Urban District Council with respect to it. I understand that when the vacancies were filled the council had before them the Department's views on the subject, and acted with a full knowledge of those views. My right hon. Friend has no power to control the council's choice and no intervention on his part can alter the decision which they have arrived at.