§ 34. Mr. J. HUDSONasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual cost of maintaining the branch of the Stationery Office in Abingdon Street; what is the annual value of the publications sold or distributed therefrom; and what economy is likely to be effected by transferring this work to Kingsway?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Ronald McNeill)I would refer the hon. Member to page 154 of the annual volume of Trading Accounts (House of Commons Paper 50 of 1926).
§ 36. Mr. E. ALEXANDERasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that, in response to the appeal of the Government for stereotypers during the general strike, Mr. Horace Barnard, a director of Hunt, Barnard, and Company, Limited, of Blandford Street, Will, induced one of their employés, Mr. Alfred Still, to offer his services temporarily to the Government; that Still is a skilled man who had been in the service of Messrs. Hunt, Barnard for 26 years, and the firm had spent a considerable amount of money in tutoring him to various branches of the trade, and more especially stereotyping; that Still is remaining in the service of His Majesty's Stationery Office at Harrow, notwithstanding the protest of Messrs. Hunt, Barnard that he was only temporarily released from his contract of service to assist in the national emergency; that His Majesty's Stationery Office has urged that his contract of service with Messrs. Hunt, Barnard was broken by reason of Still being on short time, although Still voluntary acquiesced in this alteration necessitated by the general strike; and whether he will say why in these circumstances this man is being retained by the Stationery Office?
§ Mr. McNEILLThe man in question on offering himself for employment under the Stationery Office made no reference to any such arrangement with his employers as 610 that indicated in the first part of the question, but inquired as to the prospects of permanency. I cannot pronounce upon the legal question of his contractual relations with his former employers, but it is fair to add that the man contends that his contract of service terminated on his being placed on short time. I have no power to compel him to return to any particular firm, and there is nothing in the circumstances of the case to lead me to dismiss a man who volunteered during the recent emergency.
§ Mr. ALEXANDERMay I inquire whether the fact that the man's employer drew the attention of the Stationery Office to the fact that he had broken his contract does not call for some form of inquiry?
§ Mr. McNEILLNo, Sir, I do not think so.