§ 64. Mr. T. KENNEDYasked the Minister of Health the total amount of the grants made to the East Steyning Rural District Council by the Unemployment Grants Committee towards the cost of laying a main sewer in the Shoreham Road and subsidiary sewers in the parish of Preston Rural during the summer of 1923 and onwards; whether he will specify the various roads in which subsidiary sewers were laid for which grants were made; whether part of the work was carried out by Messrs. A. and S. Wheater; whether any of the labour employed for this work was obtained through the local Employment Exchange; if so, in what proportion; and what was the rate of wages paid?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINAs the answer to the hon. Member's question is rather 618 long, perhaps he will allow me to circulate It in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ A grant of 65 per cent of the interest and sinking fund charges for half the periods of the loans sanctioned for the work was promised by the Unemployment Grants Committee. The roads in which the sewers were laid in the parish of Preston Rural were the Old Shoreham Road, Goldstone Crescent, Drove Road and Upper Drive. The whole of the work was carried out by contract, the contractors being Messrs. A. and S. Wheater. Of the 42 men employed, nine were engaged from the contractors' regular staff, owing to the skilled nature of part of the work and the difficulty of obtaining suitable men at the Employment Exchange. The rest of the men were engaged through the Exchange. I am not aware of the actual rate of wages paid, but I understand it was the usual rate. I am informed that the same contractors also carried out works of sewerage in certain private streets at the entire cost of the owners.