§ 19. Mr. LUNNasked the President of the Board of Trade how many members there are on the Advisory Council of the Board; what trades are represented; who are the employers' and who are the workers' representatives; and will he state particularly who are the coalowners and miners who have seats on this Board?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE - LISTERAs the answer is a long one, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. LUNNWill the right hon. Gentleman answer the last part of my question, as to whether there are any coalowners' or miners' representatives on this Council?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERPerhaps I had better read the answer, instead of circulating it, as intended. It is as follows:
There are 28 members of the Board of Trade Advisory Council, and the trades with which they are connected are as follows: Iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, shipbuilding and engineering, electrical trades, coal mining; cotton, wool, silk and artificial silk; food industries, pottery, rubber, chemicals; banking, railways, shipping, merchant interests, the co-operative movement.
These members are: Mr. J. S. Addison, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Alan Anderson, Mr. Walter Andrews, Mr. John Baker, M.P.; Sir Arthur Balfour, the Hon. R. H. Brand, Lieut.-Colonel N. Seddon Brown, Sir Cecil Budd, Mr. Arthur Dorman, Mr. W. Gallacher, Mr. Arthur Hollins, Mr. R. J. Hose, Mr. Alexander Johnston, Mr. E. Judson, Mr. David Landale, Sir W. Clare Lees, Colonel Sir James Lithgow, Mr. Stanley Machin, Sir Max Muspratt, Sir Philip Nash, Sir Adam Nimmo, Mr. It. 0. Perry, Sir Felix Schuster, Mr. R. H. Tennant, Sir John E. Thornycroft, Sir Herbert Walker, Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. F. V. Willey.
A number of the members are employers: Sir Thomas Allen and Mr. Gallacher are connected with co-operative societies, and Mr. Baker, Mr. Hollins and Mr. Judson are officials of trade unions.
Apart from any incidental coal-owning, e.g., by any iron and steel firm, a member of which is on the Council, the only member who is a coalowner is Sir Adam Nimmo. There is no official of the miners who is a member of the present Council.
§ Commander BELLAIRSIs not a Council of 28 a case of too many cooks?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo. I think there is some misunderstanding about this Council on the part of hon. Members opposite. The object is to have a Council completely representative of all the industry and commerce of the country, so that month by month they may give the Board of Trade and the Government a complete review of the economics of the position in the various industries. It is very important to have a Committee for that purpose.
§ Mr. LUNNAs there is no miners' representative on the Council, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman to take steps to see that the position is equalised between the miners and the coalowners?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo, Sir. In the first place the representation of the labour side is exactly as it was when the right hon. Member for Seaham (Mr. Webb) was President of the Board of Trade. The object of this Council is not to discuss questions of labour negotiation. The object is entirely to get an economic appreciation of the industries of the country. It would be a great mistake to divide representation between employers and employés. In the case of the pottery industry, I get a good report from a trade unionist. It would be impossible to have both labour and employers' representatives of all the industries. Any one engaged in an industry on either side can speak for the economic side of that industry.
Lieut.-Colonel WATTS-MORGANIs is not rather important that. yon should get from the side of the miners something with regard to the export trade? You have up to now, or until lately. had a representative on that Advisory Council, and he was able to give reports.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI understand that my hon. and gallant Friend was himself a member of the corresponding Committee in the Department of Overseas Trade.