21. Dr. MURRAYasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Admiralty obtained from the owners and occupiers of property in the island of St. Kilda gratuitous permission to erect, and did erect, a wireless station on the-island; whether, in attempting to destroy this wireless station, a German submarine injured the United Free church, two crofters' houses, and a house in which the district nurse resided; whether the Admiralty have agreed to indemnify the owners and occupiers of the injured property for the loss which they have suffered; and, if not, will the Admiralty explain upon what principle compensation was refused, seeing that no attack would have been made upon this defence less island if the Admiralty had not taken advantage of the gratuitous permission given, and erected this wireless station there?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe Admiralty established a wireless telegraph station at St. Kilda in March, 1915, on the site of the old station which was dismantled shortly before the War, and I am glad to-record the fact that this was done with the gratuitous permission of the owners and occupiers of property and without necessity for recourse to requisition. I have received a report of the damage done by bombardment by an enemy submarine in May, 1918. The Admiralty have not agreed to indemnify the owners of the damaged property, who were invited by the President of the Board of Trade, in answer to my hon. Friend's question on. the 29th May, to send their claims to the Air Raid Compensation Committee. I 343 have no exact information as to the extent to which the claims have been met under the Government scheme which this Committee operates. I would observe, however, that, if some of the claims fail through non-compliance with the conditions governing it, the Admiralty could not undertake to make any grant of compensation as the conditions were published before the date of the attack on St. Kilda.
Dr. MURRAYIn view of all the circumstances, and considering that these people could not know the law, is it not right that the Admiralty should regard this as a debt of honour and stimulate the Board of Trade to pay?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI must not be understood to give any undertaking whatever, but I shall be very glad to have my hon. Friend's representation placed before the proper authorities.
§ Dr. MACNAMARAYes.
Lieut.-Commander CRAIGIs it not a fact that, as regards the population of St. Kilda, their access to the coast, both in regard to food and trading, was interrupted by the War, and that it was entirely due to the auxiliary patrol placed at the service of the population by the Government that life and commerce were maintained in the island?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI should think that is quite true, but I am happy to say that also applies to a great many other places.