HC Deb 04 May 1920 vol 128 c1868
21. Mr. ALFRED SHORT

asked the Secretary of State for War and Air (1) whether he is now in a position to report how many men who are telegraphists in civil life are still being retained with the 18th Divisional Signal Company in Mesopotamia; whether these men are compelled to handle civil work, with the result that the military machinery is being used to retain them for civilian purposes; whether he will now issue instructions that the whole of these men shall be demobilised as rapidly as possible;

(2) whether men who enlisted for the period of the War are being compulsorily retained in Mesopotamia for the transmission of ordinary commercial telegraph traffic; whether he will state the number of men so employed and the date on which they attested; and whether, in view of the Government's decision that all soldiers employed on civilian work must be paid the civilian rate of pay, he will now issue instructions that all Post Office telegraphists compulsorily retained to handle commercial traffic between London and the East shall be paid the rate of pay proper to civilian wireless operators in the employment of private companies?

Mr. CHURCHILL

As the hon. Member was informed by letter on the 17th March last, no British personnel are being retained in Mesopotamia for the transmission of commercial telegraph traffic, and with the exception of five volunteers, all the personnel of the Signal Service other than regular soldiers, had left for demobilisation.