§ 111. Mr. W. GRAHAMasked the Secretary of State for War whether a notice has been posted at the wireless general headquarters which states that no Post Office men, whether pivotal or not, would be released unless specially asked for on the Postmaster-General's list; whether the Postmaster-General's list was mainly composed of the younger men, with the result that hundreds of signallers between the age of thirty-seven and forty-six years of age see no prospect of demobilisation; whether, having regard to the equal skill of all the men who have been serving in the Royal Engineers, signals, during the War, he will disregard the Postmaster-General's list and release the men according to age; whether he is aware that scores of operators are doing practically no work and certainly nothing either important or necessary in connection with communications; and whether, having regard to the state of unrest, he will cause an urgent inquiry to be made 1474 as to the character of the fatigues and other activities upon which hundreds of skilled men are at present employed?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am not aware of such a notice having been posted anywhere. The second part of the question should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Postmaster-General. Men registered as civil demobilisers before the 1st February, 1919, are being demobilised irrespective of age or length of service. I cannot entertain my hon. Friend's proposal to disregard the list of men applied for as demobilisers by my right hon. Friend the Postmaster-General. Men who are not so registered will be demobilised if eligible under current instructions, subject, of course, to the exigencies of the Service.