§ 8. Mr. THURTLEasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons who have been transferred to the Borough of Shoreditch under the transference scheme; and the number of positions that have been found for those persons?
§ Mr. BETTERTONUp to 22nd April, 1929, 31 men had been transferred from depressed areas into employment in the area of the Shoreditch Employment Exchange under the Industrial Transference Scheme. Transfers under this scheme only take place when there is employment in view for the individuals concerned.
§ Mr. THURTLEIs the hon. Gentleman aware that there are thousands of men in Shoreditch who could have taken on the jobs which have been filled by these men?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI cannot think that the addition of 31 men has really brought about the result which the hon. Member fears. There are in Shoreditch 84,070 insured persons, and the transferees, therefore, amount to 1/28th of 1 per cent. of the insured persons.
§ Mr. THURTLEIs it not thoroughly uneconomic to bring men hundreds of miles to fill jobs when there are men on the spot for those jobs?
§ Mr. SPEAKERNot one like the last.
§ Mr. BATEYI was going to ask if the hon. Gentleman can say how many of these 31 transferred miners are still in Shoreditch?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI cannot say without notice.
§ Mr. PALINGIs it any satisfaction to a man, when he has been transferred and finds there is a job for him, to find that he is such a small proportion of the whole?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI am sure, on the other hand, it must be a great satisfaction to a man transferred from an area where there is no work to find himself in an area where there is work.
§ 10. Mr. T. KENNEDYasked the Minister of Labour the number of workers transferred from distressed areas in Scotland since the beginning of October last to the parish of Wemyss, Fifeshire, the cost of transference, and the number of transferees who, since being brought into the parish of Wemyss, have been in receipt of Poor Law relief or relief from the Miners' Distress Fund; and the monthly number of local unemployed on the registers during the period mentioned?
§ Mr. BETTERTONAs the reply is somewhat long, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT
§ Following is the reply:
§ Separate figures showing the number of workers transferred from depressed areas in Scotland to the parish of 2173 Wemyss are not available, but between 6th October, 1928, and 22nd April, 1929, seven men were transferred from depressed areas to the district served by the Employment Exchange at Leven.
§ Statistics are not available regarding the cost of these transfers nor with regard to the number of cases, if any such occurred, in which the men transferred have been in receipt of Poor Law relief, or relief from the Miners' Distress Fund. The numbers of persons on the registers of the Leven Employment Exchange on certain dates in the period October, 1928, to April, 1929, were as follows:
| Date. | Number. |
| 1st October, 1928 | 1,054 |
| 5th November, 1928 | 1,058 |
| 3rd December, 1928 | 1,106 |
| 7th January, 1929 | 1,222 |
| 4th February, 1929 | 1,145 |
| 4th March, 1929 | 1,181 |
| 8th April, 1929 | 946 |
| 29th April, 1929 | 829 |
§ 14. Mr. CHARLETONasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that in many cases men transferred under the transference scheme have obtained employment for a week or two only; and what is the policy of the Department with respect to such cases when the man is under agreement to repay by weekly instalments the amount advanced for his travelling expenses?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI have no evidence that any considerable number of men moved under the industrial transference scheme whose first engagement has come to an end have not found or been given an opportunity of other employment, or that pressure amounting to hardship is brought to bear upon them to repay advances of travelling expenses.
§ Mr. CHARLETONWill the hon. Gentleman give consideration to the point that there are a number of oases of men only employed for a week or two, and who come from long distances and cannot possibly get the money together?
§ Mr. BETTERTONThis money, of course, is not a grant but a loan; at the same time, if the hon. Gentleman has cases of hardship which he thinks ought to be looked into, I will see that this is done.
§ Mr. CHARLETONWe should prefer the Minister looking into the question of laying down some new rule with the object of saying that a man should be at least employed for some length of time before he is asked to refund, and that he should be given a free warrant should he be employed for only a week or two, but should he be employed for a long term—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is giving information.