§ Mr. KIRKWOODI beg to move, in page 7, line 28, to leave out the words "one thousand," and to insert instead thereof the words "five hundred."
The sum I refer to is £1,000 which is proposed to be given every year to the Chairman of this Board. When the Bill was last before us, we obtained the information that this Board would sit about ten times a year, and that it would probably sit about ten hours. That means that this Chairman is to get as much per hour as an engineer gets per year. I would like to ask who is. the Chairman who is to get this job. I want to know what part he has played in the building up of this great Empire that he should get this part-time position of about ten hours per year. I want to know if it is some Tory who has rendered yeoman service to the Tory party, or some traitor to the working classes to whom this Government is about to hand the job. We find that the Board is to be made up of two representatives from His Majesty's Government. Who are those individuals who are to get this presentation of £300 a year each for practically doing nothing? We are very much interested in this cable, and in the development of the British Empire. We from the Clyde have a special right to make these inquiries regarding this cable. It was from our river that the "Great Eastern" went out to lay the first cable across the Atlantic. It was from our part of the world that the great Lord Kelvin made it possible to detect that that cable was broken without the cable having to be lifted. We from our part of the world have done yeoman service in building up this great Empire, and I want to know if the Members of these benches are having any recognition on this Board, or if only Tories are going to be members of it. We are very anxious about the conditions of the workers right down from the chairman, and including the members of this Board, down to the ordinary wage-slave who will be employed. You have to remember that we on these benches realise that this same Government imposed starvation on the miners.
§ The CHAIRMAN (Mr. James Hope)I think this is hardly relevant to an Amendment which deals with the salary of the Chairman of the Board.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODThe reason why I am bringing in this question of the workers in relation to the miners is the very same reason for which I have put down this Amendment. I wish to reduce the salary of the chairman by £500 so that the right hon. Gentleman the Secretary to the Dominions may have that £500 to distribute among my class. I think that is quite a fair proposition.
§ Mr. AMERYI think I can answer all the points in a few words. The representatives of the British Government will be two civil servants, and, as such, they will be neither Socialist, nor Tory, and, being already in receipt of payment from the Crown, they will not get the £300, which is only set down for such members of the Board as are not already in the service of the Crown. As regards the chairmanship, that is not an appointment for the British Government to decide, but for the Government in consultation with all the other Governments who are concerned. As regards the salary, I would remind the Committee that the salary for the Chairman of the Board is now £600, and it is due to the pressure of the Dominion Governments, and not to any action on our part, that it is to be raised, and it has been raised on the principle to which the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Ogmore (Mr. Hartshorn) referred, of endeavouring to attract a good man from private business.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODHas this Government any nominee for the post of Chairman?
§ Mr. BUCHANANrose—
§ It being a quarter past Eight of the clock, further Proceeding was postponed without Question put, pursuant to Standing Order No. 4.