HC Deb 16 May 1939 vol 347 cc1247-67

Nothing in any enactment shall operate to prevent any person registered for military training under this Act. whether called up or not, from becoming or remaining a member of any political party, trade union or other lawful association and from taking such part in the lawful activities of such party, trade union or association as he would have been entitled to take if he had not been so registered or called up.—[Mr. T. Johnston.]

Brought up, and read the First time.

5.27 p.m.

Mr. T. Johnston

I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."

It is difficult to learn from the Army Act and the Regulations precisely how far a young man's civil liberties are restricted when he joins the Army, Navy or Air Force. We have just decided that he shall not have the franchise, and we have not been informed whether the young militiaman may attend political meetings in unform or not. We should like to know whether his membership of any political organisation is circumscribed. We ask that question desiring to make sure that, however unpopular a political organisation may be with a man's commanding officer, the man shall not in any way be barred or circumscribed in his membership. The more one is opposed to a political party the more one should make certain that the young man's right of access to the doctrines of that party are maintained. A young man, for example, may have sympathies towards the Communist party. I hope not, but it is the more necessary that we should make certain that during the six months in which he is under the control of officers of the Army, Navy or Air Force, he should not have his thinking handed out to him or the literature which he may desire to study circumscribed.

We want to be absolutely certain that a young man may be a member of, for example, the Amalgamated Engineers' Union. He is acquiring certain trade union rights and we want to be absolutely certain that while he is a member of the Militia his trade union rights shall in no wise be lost. We should be glad to know if these young men may make a collective presentation of grievances. In the Army Act I can see no provision for the collective presentation of grievances to commanding or any other officers; a man must disclose his grievance individually to his superior officer. At this time of day, when we are ostensibly building up a great democratic force by means of a levçe en masse of those of a certain age, we should not prevent these young fellows from making a collective presentation of their grievances.

Mr. Fleming

Will the right hon. Gentleman explain what he means by a collective presentation of grievances?

Mr. Johnston

It is a common form of words. It is known to everyone who is acquainted with conditions of working in factories or offices. If any grievance is suffered by, say, 50 young men or young women there is no reason why they should be compelled to make complaints separately. There is no reason whatever why these young men should not make their grievances known to a commanding officer through a—

Mr. Wise

Is there any reason now?

Mr. Johnston

The hon. Member will have an opportunity of putting his views. The terms of the Army Act clearly specify the method by which a grievance can be ventilated, lays down the precise machinery which must be used, and it is clear that it must be an individual presentation, and not a collective presentation. In the police force a policeman with a grievance can ventilate it through the Police Federation, and it is commonly done, and is there any reason why it may not be done in the Militia? At any rate, the object and purpose of this Clause is clear. We want to conserve as far as possible—I know that it is not 100 per cent. possible, but so far as possible—the civil rights and liberties of these young men, whether they are actually called up or not. They may be registered but not called up. Does the fact that they are registered in any way interfere with their civil rights and liberties at home; and when they are called up how far are their rights and liberties to be circumscribed and limited? It is to ascertain how far these young men will lose liberties and rights which we on this side cherish that we have moved this Amendment. The ostensible purpose of the Bill is to secure and defend civil liberty for the people of these islands, and we shall not begin well if we begin by unnecessarily limiting the rights of discussion and rights of action, political and otherwise, which these young men now possess.

5.35 p.m.

Mr. Gordon Macdonald

I wish to put the case as I see it as a miners' representative. A great number of boys from the mining industry will be called up under this Measure. What has characterised the discussions throughout on this Bill has been a desire on the part of the whole Committee not to disturb more than is necessary the life of the individual who is called up, and we on this side have appreciated that attitude. Many boys are now members of the miners trade union, and others are members of the different youth political parties—some Conservatives, some Communists, some Labour. We are anxious that these boys should not have their political or industrial life disturbed more than is necessary. While they are on the register they will be at home for a few months, and during that period I do not suppose there will be any difficulty, but when they are called up they will be far from home and cannot take part in the various activities to which they have been accustomed at home. I think the Government would be wise to accept a Clause on these lines. We do not intend the Clause to create any difficulty in the Army. we do not move it for the purpose of making the men who are called up worse soldiers. We think that a good soldier can also be a good trade unionist and a good member of a political party, and I do not see why the Clause should be resisted, but I have my suspicions that it will be. I ask the representatives of the Government, if they do resist the Clause, to realise that we do not put it forward with the idea that the men will be poorer soldiers, because we think they will be all the better for being good trade unionists and good members of a political party.

5.37 p.m.

The Financial Secretary to the War Office (Sir Victor Warrender)

I think I can allay the fears of the hon. Member straight away. The right hon. Member who moved this new Clause said he did so because he and his hon. Friends had some difficulty in ascertaining the limitations which were placed upon sailors, soldiers and airmen in respect of political activities and their rights regarding membership of trade unions, and so on. The position is that there is nothing to prevent a sailor, soldier or airman being a member of a trade union. Any young man who comes under the provisions of this Bill and who is a member of a trade union will be perfectly at liberty to continue his membership throughout his service. The new Clause calls attention to the need of enabling him to retain that membership before he is called up and after he has been registered. Of course, the same condition would apply there. The fact is there are many soldiers in the Army to-day who are members of trade unions, and nobody takes the slightest objection to that; if they are tradesmen, and most of them are, it is to their advantage to be members of a trade union. No rule is laid down and no steps are taken to prevent them continuing as members of any trade union with which they may be associated by reason of their trade.

So far as political meetings are concerned, I think that all in this Committee, whatever their political views, will agree that it is undesirable that politics should play a prominent part in the life of the Army. To begin with, 99 out of 100 soldiers are not interested in politics, but here, again, there is no desire to prevent a soldier from being a member of any political party. He can be a member of the Communist party if he wants to. All we do say, in the Army as in the other Services, is that while he is in the Service he should not take an active part in political life. As far as the militiamen are concerned, I think that by the very nature of their training it will be extremely difficult for them to take an active part in political life. If they wish to remain members of whatever political party they may have been associated with in civil life they will be perfectly at liberty to do so. The right hon. Gentleman asked about their trade union rights. I was a little mystified by that reference. I assume the fact that a man who went into the Army for six months would not prejudice his position in the union or any rights he would have as a member, and I can only say that I hope, and I am sure it will be the case, that when he goes back to civil life the trade unions will reinstate him as generously as we provide that employers shall reinstate him when he goes back to employment.

Mr. Johnston

What about attendance at political meetings?

Sir V. Warrender

No Territorial is allowed to institute political meetings while at camp.

Mr. Shinwell

But when he is on furlough?

Sir V. Warrender

It is quite a different thing when he is on furlough. Political meetings, obviously, cannot be held in barracks, but I do not think hon. Members need fear that the Army unduly represses political opinions. Indeed, the whole trend of modern training in the Army is to encourage men to think for themselves.

Mr. Shinwell

If a man who is undergoing training happens to have week-end leave there would be no objection, I take it, to his attending a political meeting during that period of leave or participating in political activities?

Sir V. Warrender

I can tell the hon. Member that if any of his constituents see that he is addressing a political meeting there will be nothing to prevent them from going to enjoy his oratory for such time as—

Mr. Lees-Smith

In uniform?

Sir V. Warrender

He would not go in uniform.

Mr. Johnston

Why not in uniform? If he has gone home in his uniform, why should he be debarred from attending a political meeting at his home town?

Sir V. Warrender

He can attend the meeting, but he cannot go on the platform. There are specific rules to this effect, and soldiers are definitely prevented from taking the chair or going on the platform at a purely political meeting. There is nothing to prevent a militiaman, if at home on leave and there is a meeting going on, appearing in uniform. I do not think he would be committing an offence, but for obvious reasons we do not encourage soldiers to take an active part in political meetings.

Mr. Johnston

Will the hon. Member deal with the question of the collective presentation of grievances?

Sir V. Warrender

I purposely did not refer to that point, because I did not think it was covered by the terms of the new Clause. The soldier has a right to represent his grievances under certain conditions which are laid down. If he has a grievance he has a right, first of all, to see his captain, and if he is not satisfied with the result he has a right to see his commanding officer, and if he still feels that his grievance remains unredressed he has a right to see his brigadier or any general officer who may be inspecting his regiment—

Mr. Ede

And what will happen to him?

Sir V. Warrender

The collective representation of grievances is not allowed to the Regular soldier, and, therefore, I do not think it would be logical to allow it to the militiaman.

The Deputy-Chairman

There was an Amendment yesterday which dealt with this particular subject and the Committee cannot go back upon a decision which has already been made. I confess that I do not carry the actual details of the Amendment in my head, but it seems to me that it was very similar.

5.45 p.m.

Mr. Mander

In connection with this proposed new Clause I want to put the point of view of a certain number of young organised people who have made me familiar with their views. I want it to be quite clearly understood that these are not necessarily my views at all, but it is necessary that they should be made known to the Government and that a statement should be made as to what the position of these young people will be. A number of young people likely to be called up under this Measure have for many years been taking a great deal of interest in foreign affairs. They hold very strong political views which they do not want to drop, and they have had to consider what arrangements they should make in regard to this Measure, whether they should be objectors or should go into the Army and serve. Many of them, so they inform me, feel that they are quite willing to sacrifice their lives for their country but they are not prepared to do it except for a genuine system of collective security which is in line with their idealism.

The Deputy-Chairman

It might be as well if I read to the Committee at this point the Amendment which the Committee rejected last Friday. It was as follows: Provided also that any persons called up for military training under this Act shall be entitled freely to form associations for the discussion of military and political matters and the conditions of their service and to elect representatives to take up their grievances with the military and civil authorities. That Amendment was negatived. It is entirely out of order to repeat now arguments which were appropriate on that occasion.

Mr. Mander

I am not going to deal with that matter at all. I am merely relating something, and I want to know what the position of these young people will be when they are called up in the ordinary way. I am informed that what they are proposing to do is to take every opportunity of carrying on political propaganda in support of their views on what they consider a proper foreign policy while they are called up and inside the Army. [Interruption.] The War Office may just as well know it.

Sir Robert Tasker

An excuse for cowards, that is all it is.

Mr. Mander

That was a very disgraceful interruption. I am placing before the Committee the views of some of the most patriotic young people in the country. They are quite prepared to sacrifice their lives, but they have definite views. I do not say that those views are necessarily mine at all, but they are entitled to be heard. Those young people propose, when called up, to march to the recruiting station together, with banners—[Laughter] it is not a laughing matter—and possibly, as I am told they contemplate doing, the banners may contain some such slogan as "Down with Chamberlain."

Mr. McGovern

And "Long live Mander."

The Deputy-Chairman

I am wondering very much what all this had to do with the proposed new Clause.

Mr. Mander

I venture respectfully to say that you will see that it is a question whether these people can carry on their political rights and I want an answer from the Government whether they will be entitled to do certain things.

Sir I. Albery

May I ask the hon. Gentleman a question?

Mr. Mander

I think I had better finish this point. We are working under the Guillotine. When these young people arrive at the recruiting station they propose to hand to the recruiting officer a statement of their views.

Mr. McGovern

And then they will be executed.

Mr. Mander

During the whole period of their six months' training they are proposing, if they are permitted—and that is the point on which I want an answer for their information—to carry on an active propaganda in favour of the political views which they hold about what should be the proper foreign policy of this country. They hope that when they and the others have finished their six months' period of training they will have a very much larger number of supporters for that policy than there were at the beginning.

Sir I. Albery

Would the hon. Gentleman say whether these are the young people who provide him with the questions which he addresses to the Foreign Office?

Mr. Mander

I thought the hon. Member was going to make a serious contribution. I think there is something rather shocking in the idea that the serious views of young persons who are going to be trained to sacrifice their lives should be derided and mocked from the other side of the Committee. Their views are not necessarily my views at all and they may be quite wrong, but these people are entitled to a fair hearing in this Committee. I want to convey to the War Office that a number of young people whom they are about to call up have these ideas in mind. It would be appropriate if a statement could be made as to how far these young people would be entitled or allowed to do anything of the kind which I have described.

5.52 p.m.

Mr. McGovern

I heard the explanation made by the Financial Secretary and there is one point on which I am not quite satisfied. It is about a soldier in uniform not being able to attend a political meeting, and I would like some further satisfaction on that point. The other evening I was going towards Tottenham Court Road and stood for some time at a meeting. It was a Communist meeting and in the gathering were two soldiers. I stood there for over an hour, and the two soldiers were in the gathering. They were in uniform. If soldiers are prohibited from attending meetings in uniform, can they not take part in a demonstration in Hyde Park or an ordinary outdoor meeting and cannot they sit in a political meeting when in uniform? Men called up during a General Election campaign may have been very prominent and active members of a political party. Are we to take it that they are to be debarred from attending meetings because they are in uniform?

We must remember that a considerable number of young men who will be called up have been on the means test and that many of them, not having had any income because of the Government's decision to exclude them from benefit, may not have a proper suit of clothes. Their only decent suit may be the uniform which has been given to them by the Government. Are they to be debarred from going to a meeting in that uniform? Are they to be excluded from ordinary political life or have they to go to a political meeting as people would go to a nudist colony? I know that soldiers were debarred during the last War from taking part in ordinary political meetings in uniform.

I remember the wife of the present Lord Provost of Glasgow addressing a meeting in the North of Scotland. A young brother of mine who was in the Army at that time went to the political meeting and took part in it. Then he went to have a cup of tea with a lady in a hotel. An armed escort appeared at the hotel and took him, and he was confined to barracks for seven days in solitary confinement because he had taken part in a political meeting. It is outrageous to suggest that young men can be taken from their homes against their will, placed in the Army against their will, compelled to mould their life in a form which they do not desire, be away from their friends and then, on top of all that, not to have complete liberty of action. We are told that the great struggle, if war takes place, may be for freedom and democracy. It is outrageous that young men should be prevented from taking any part at all in political life if they desire to do so in uniform or if they can and do desire to appear out of uniform.

The position stated by the Financial Secretary would mean that the two young men who were standing the other evening at the outdoor meeting could be hauled up before the authorities because they stood there in uniform at part of that ordinary political gathering. They are entitled to demonstrate politically against things from which their families may be suffering. They may be demanding old age pensions for their aged fathers and mothers whom they have left behind and to whom the Government have failed to give a decent income. If men attend a political meeting to demand higher pensions, the ending or the easing of the means test which bears hardly on those at home, they are entitled to do so whether they are in or out of uniform. Ministers have no right to defend any action which would prohibit liberty in regard to those matters. The Government are giving an undertaking that soldiers can become members of their trade unions and remain members of trade unions and political organisations, but those things entail rights that the men are entitled to have. I cannot see that even the carrying out of the decision of the Financial Secretary will not cause great hardship in taking away the liberty of these young people who are going out to defend the possessions of hon. Gentlemen opposite.

5.58 p.m.

Mr. Wise

The hon. Member has a little overstated the case about soldiers in uniform attending political meetings. So far as I know there is certainly no objection to a member of the Forces attending a meeting. Go on any day into Hyde Park and you will find members of the Forces listening to the speakers. The only objection taken, and I think rightly, is to serving soldiers taking an active part in political meetings. I am certain that hon. Members will realise that it would be wholly undesirable that soldiers in uniform should be found taking part in a procession or involved in acrimonious arguments with civilians during the course of a political meeting. One of the main arguments always heard in favour of allowing a soldier to go out in plain clothes instead of in uniform was that if he were in plain clothes and got into an ordinary row with a contemporary he was able to hit him in the eye without bringing disgrace upon His Majesty.

Mr. McGovern

Does the hon. Gentleman suggest that when a young man joins the Forces he has sacrificed the whole of his manhood?

Mrs. Tate

He only joins for six months.

Mr. Wise

The hon. Member must not assume that the man is going into the Army for life. This is a very short course of training for six months, during which this young man is going to work extremely hard. It is a job of some magnitude, as hon. Members know, to turn a man into an efficient soldier in six months. To start with, these men are going to have very little time to spare, but they are not going to be deprived permanently of their civil rights, as the hon. Member for Shettleston (Mr. McGovern) is trying to make us believe. I find it difficult to take the hon. Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander) quite seriously. The young men to whom he alluded with such burning indignation are, I imagine, even under the Army Act, perfectly entitled to go to the recruiting office bearing a slogan, whether it be "Down with Hitler" or "Heil Mander." There is no reason why that should not be done. I am certain, however, that they will discover, if they invade the barrack-room with incessant propaganda, that the young have methods of resenting that propaganda which are denied to the old.

Mr. Stephen

On a point of Order. Is the hon. Member in order in saying, "To hell with Mander"?

Mr. Wise

I am sorry that the hon. Member did not quite catch my observation. I was merely suggesting that the young men referred to by the hon. Member for East Wolverhampton might make use of a slogan which is fairly common over the large part of Europe to-day.

One other point that I should like to mention is the point raised by the Mover of the Clause with regard to the question of collective presentation of complaints. I think the actual practice is that there is no objection whatever to any grade of serving soldiers appointing one of their number as a spokesman to carry their collective complaint to the proper quarter, and I think, also, that there is no reason to assume that the complaint will not be listened to, as complaints generally are in the armed forces. I do not believe that the point about the police force is entirely correct. I seem to remember hon. Members opposite suggesting with some violence that—

The Deputy-Chairman

The hon. Member is now going back to something that the Committee has already decided.

Mr. Wise

I will not press the point any further.

Mr. Johnston

May I draw the attention of the Committee to Section 43 of the Army Act, which will show that I am right and the hon. Member is wrong?

Mr. Wise

I have not the Army Act with me at the moment, but I am certain that there is nothing in Section 43 which prevents any body of soldiers appointing one of their number to carry a complaint. I suggest that hon. Members opposite are really making a major range of mountains out of a molehill on this question. Militiamen are not being denied ordinary civil liberties, but they are engaging in quite an arduous six months' work, and during that time the less they are pestered with propaganda the better. They are perfectly entitled to remain members of their trade union or political party, and, more important, they are perfectly entitled to pay their subscription to their union or party while they are serving.

6.5 p.m.

Mr. G. Strauss

I should like to ask the Financial Secretary to the War Office to elucidate one or two points in his speech. I am not quite clear what are to be the rights of these conscript militiamen. It may be that I did not follow the hon. Gentlemen completely, or it may be that he did not explain as fully as he might have done. I understood him to say that the general principle on which the Army Council's regulations are based is that the militiaman will be allowed to attend political meetings and take a certain part in politics as long as he does not take an active part in politics. Am I right in understanding, from the hon. Gentleman's speech, that a conscript will be allowed to attend a political meeting in any circumstances, whether he is on furlough, or in barracks or in camp? If there is a political meeting in the neighbourhood which he wants to attend—in his free time, of course—will he be allowed to attend such a meeting, and will he be allowed to attend it in uniform, because he may not have any other clothes with him? Would he, further, be debarred from exercising the ordinary right of members of the audience at a meeting to ask questions? Is the suggestion simply that he should not be the chairman of such a meeting, or a speaker on the platform? Again, will the conscript be entitled to take part in demonstrations? Many of these young fellows of 20 may, as was suggested by the last speaker, have very little interest in politics, but many of them are very interested in politics and keen workers for one party or another, used to taking part in, say, May Day processions in the case of those who support one or other of the Labour parties. May I take it that a conscript will be entitled to take part in uniform in a political demonstration such as a May Day procession? If that right is denied him, I should like to know on what grounds it is denied. Doubtless the hon. Gentleman is aware that a very considerable degree of civil liberty is given to members of the French Army. I have myself seen political demonstrations in Paris in which there have been literally hundreds of men and officers in military or naval uniform or in the uniform of the French Air Force. That is a right to demonstrate for a political cause which should not, I submit, be taken away from a conscript in the militia. I do not know whether it is the intention of the War Office to accord these rights or not, but I should very much like the hon. Gentleman to state whether they are to be accorded or not.

Mr. Fleming

Can the hon. Member give one instance which he himself has seen in France of a political demonstration in which any officers have taken an active part in uniform?

Mr. Strauss

If the hon. and learned Member would like the actual date, there was on 14th July, two years ago, in Paris a great Popular Front demonstration of about 500,000 people, on behalf of the programme of the Popular Front Government which had just been formed. I attended that demonstration, and I assure the hon. and learned Member I saw hundreds of men and dozens of officers. I could not say exactly what was the rank of the officers, but some of them, by their uniforms, were obviously of high position. They took part in that demonstration, and, as I understand it, members of the French Army are allowed to take part in any political demonstration that they choose.

6.8 p.m.

Mr. Acland

I should like to ask what will be the rights of the militiamen if this Clause is not inserted. If it were inserted it would give the right to take such part in the lawful activities of their political parties as they would be entitled to take if they had not been registered or called up. If these militiamen while in training—naturally, not while they are on parade—expressed to other militiamen or, indeed, to their officers, if their officer stalk to them, political views which are contrary to the views of the Government, will a sergeant or other superior officer come down upon them and say, "You cannot say that sort of thing here"? That really is important, because hon. Members opposite have a sort of idea that to instil into the minds of all sorts of people ideas which are accepted on their side of the House is a splendid education in the duties of citizenship, while to instil into the mind of anyone the ideas accepted on this side of the House is a piece of disruptive and mischievous propaganda. Take the question of foreign policy. Broadly speaking, there have been two forms of foreign policy in this country in recent years—

Mr. Godfrey Nicholson

Right and wrong.

Mr. Acland

From the opposite side of the House there has been the view that we in this country did not care a snap of the fingers about foreigners, that we are Britishers, and that we will let these people cut each other's throats if that amuses them, but let them touch a corner of our interests and they will see what we are made of. On the other side there has been the view that the only thing on earth that is worth fighting and dying for is international justice.

The Chairman (Sir Dennis Herbert)

Unless the hon. Member is giving a demonstration of what he wants to be permitted, I am not sure that there is any relevance in his remarks.

Mr. Acland

May I take it that it will be in order for an officer to give a lecture to the troops informing them that the purpose of the British Army is to make sure that foreigners shall not interfere with the rights and privileges of the British Empire—that is to say, to instil the ideas of hon. Members opposite—but that it would not be permissible for a militiaman to answer his superior officer by saying that in his view the only thing that is worth fighting for is international justice?

The Chairman

I must ask the hon. Member to confine himself a little more closely to the proposed new Clause.

Mr. Mabane

May I ask the hon. Member what experience he has of officers of the Army ever giving lectures to other people on foreign policy?

The Chairman

I think that that question would almost come under the same ban as the remarks of the hon. Member for Barnstaple (Mr. Acland).

Mr. Acland

Under the proposed new Clause these militiamen are to have the right to take such part in the lawful activities of the parties to which they belong as they would be entitled to take if they had not been registered or called up. That would give them the right to argue on foreign policy with other militiamen or with their superior officers. I would ask quite seriously whether, if this Clause is not put into the Bill, these rights will be continued and superior officers and non-commissioned officers will not be able to say to them, "You cannot talk about that sort of thing here."

6.14 p.m.

Mr. J. Hall

We are particularly anxious that these boys who are taken out of industry for a short period should be able to retain their connections and their civil liberties, so that they may take up the threads again at the end of the six months. The Financial Secretary to the War Office has said that these soldiers will be permitted to belong to a trade union, and one of the things we are concerned about is that these conscripts may be able to retain their trade union membership. I represent a division which includes within its borders the Tower of London. The warders at the Tower are not ordinary military men; one-third of their wages is paid by the First Commissioner of Works, and two-thirds by the War Office, and for that reason these men are not allowed to belong to a trade union. If, in what may be regarded as an ancillary force, the men are not permitted to belong to a trade union, it is very difficult for me to understand how it is that members of the Fighting Forces will be allowed that privilege, and I think we should know whether these conscripts will be allowed to continue their trade union membership during their six-months' period of military training.

6.15 p.m.

Mr. Hicks

I am sure the House will be very glad to hear that there is no intention to interfere with trade union membership or with membership of any political party. What we are desirous of getting an assurance about is that the men, if they are on leave or have an evening off, will have no difficulty in attending meetings of their trade union branches or of their political parties. I am not enamoured of the idea of uniformed people marching in processions. A short time ago we passed an Act prohibiting that in this country, and I would not like to see the practice revived. But, as my hon. Friend the Member for North Lambeth (Mr. G. Strauss) has mentioned, in the French Army men are allowed to attend the meetings of their trade union branches, and in some instances they act as officers. I have attended a number of trade union meetings in France, and I have sat with these soldiers. They have been speaking in a language that has had to be interpreted to me, but I believe they were members of their trade unions. If we are assured that members of trade unions will be free to attend meetings of their unions, that will be welcomed on this side of the Committee.

This Bill is intended to support voluntaryism, as the Prime Minister stated, and it is not intended to conscript the whole of the military service. Therefore, the least compulsion that can be imposed on private individuals the better it will be. I am anxious that when these young people are called to the Colours they shall not lose touch with their civil associations and their citizenship. We are anxious that those who are apprenticed shall have an opportunity of coming back during the time they are on service and familiarising themselves with their old associations. That is absolutely essential, so that their minds shall not be divorced from the social life of the people and the democracy that they understand.

6.18 p.m.

Sir V. Warrender

The Government fully appreciate the spirit in which the hon. Member for East Woolwich (Mr. Hicks) has just spoken. It is our aim that, in so far as military training interrupts young men's civil lives, that interruption shall be as limited as possible. We hope that all the desires to which the hon. Gentleman has just given expression will be realised. Certainly, I can say at once that if a militiaman has leave or is on leave for the evening, there will be nothing to prevent him attending a meeting of his trade union or of a political party of which he is a member. All the Regulations say is that he cannot take an active part in politics or in the work of trade unions. He cannot take an active part in the sense of promoting somebody else's candidature, taking the chair at a political meeting, or promoting some interest in a political way.

The hon. Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander) wanted an assurance about his friends who wished to make a demonstration when they were called up for training. I can tell him straight away that, as long as they do not get into trouble with the police, the Army will have no objection whatever to them having a demonstration on their way to the recruiting station. What the recruiting officer will do with the illuminated address presented to him when they get there I do not know. In the mess they will be perfectly free to express their own political opinions, but what their messmates will do with them, that again I do not know. The hon. Member for North Lambeth (Mr. G. Strauss) invented a whole series of possibilities which might arise, and asked me to give a ruling on them all. That I cannot do, but I cannot imagine that a militiaman will be within his rights in driving a wagon in uniform at a Labour May Day demonstration. I think that will come within the terms of the Regulations. If he wants to go to see the fun, that will be all right—if there is any fun. With regard to the point put by the hon. Member for Whitechapel (Mr. J. Hall), the warders at the Tower are permitted to be members of a trade union. If the hon. Member has any doubt about that, perhaps he will see me about it.

Mr. J. Hall

The last letter I had from the hon. Gentleman turned down the warders and stated quite definitely that they had no right to be members of a trade union. But I shall be very pleased to see him, and to bring the correspondence with me.

Mr. Hicks

Do I understand the hon. Gentleman to say that if a militiaman attended a trade union branch meeting he would not be able to assist in the promotion of the candidature of another man for an office?

Sir V. Warrender

I was talking about public meetings. He would not be allowed, any more than a Regular soldier would, to take the chair or anything of that sort at a public meeting, but at a trade union branch meeting—I am not very familiar with what goes an at trade union meetings—if he were asked to second a motion for the election of the hon. Gentleman, for instance, he would be perfectly in order in doing so. It is not an offence to attend a political meeting in uniform, but if he was asked to speak at the meeting, that would not be permitted.

6.24 p.m.

Mr. G. Griffiths

Are we to understand that when the militiaman, as you call him—we on this side call him a conscript—is called up, if he goes to a meeting of his trade union branch he is not allowed to speak there? I understood the Financial Secretary to say that the man could attend the meeting, but could not take part. If he goes to the meeting of the branch, where there are perhaps a couple of thousand people, and a dispute is on—as there is at the pit where I worked, and where they are going to give their notices in next week—will he have power to vote, or is that power curtailed?

Sir V. Warrender

My remarks applied entirely to public meetings. Meetings such as the hon. Member has described would be public meetings, and the men would not be entitled to take part in the proceedings.

Question put, "That the Clause be read a Second time."

The Committee divided: Ayes, 144; Noes, 248.

Division No. 130] AYES. [5.18 p.m.
Acland, Rt. Hon. Sir F. Dyke Griffith, F. Kingsley (M'ddl'sbro, W.) Owen, Major G.
Acland, R. T. D. (Barnstaple) Griffiths, G. A. (Hemsworth) Paling, W.
Adams, D. (Consett) Griffiths, J. (Llanelly) Parker, J.
Adams, D. M. (Poplar, S.) Groves, T. E. Parkinson, J. A.
Adamson, Jennie L. (Dartford) Hall, J. H. (Whitechapel) Pearson, A.
Adamson, W. M. Hardie, Agnes Price, M. P.
Alexander, Rt. Hon. A. V. (H'lsbr.) Harris, Sir P. A. Pritt, D. N.
Anderson, F. (Whitehaven) Harvey, T. E. (Eng. Univ's.) Quibell, D. J. K.
Attlee, Rt. Hon. C. R. Hayday, A. Rathbone, Eleanor (English Univ's.)
Banfield, J. W. Henderson, A. (Kingswinford) Richards, R. (Wrexham)
Barnes, A. J. Henderson, J. (Ardwick) Riley, B.
Barr, J. Henderson, T. (Tradeston) Ritson, J.
Bartlett, C. V. O. Hills, A. (Pontefract) Roberts, W. (Cumberland, N.)
Batey, J. Hopkin, D. Robinson, W. A. (St. Helens)
Beaumont, H. (Batley) Jagger, J. Sanders, W. S.
Bellenger, F. J. Jenkins, A. (Pontypool) Seely, Sir H. M.
Benn, Rt. Hon. W. W. Jenkins, Sir W. (Neath) Sexton, T. M.
Bevan, A. John, W. Shinwell, E.
Broad, F. A. Johnston, Rt. Hon. T. Silverman, S. S.
Bromfield, W. Jones, A. C. (Shipley) Smith, Ben (Rotherhithe)
Brown, G. (Mansfield) Jones, Sir H. Haydn (Merioneth) Smith, E. (Stoke)
Buchanan, G. Kennedy, Rt. Hon. T. Smith, Rt. Hon. H. B. Lees- (K'ly)
Burke, W. A. Kirby, B. V. Smith, T. (Normanton)
Cape, T. Kirkwood, D. Stephen, C.
Charleton, H. C. Lansbury, Rt. Hon. G. Stewart, W. J. (H'ght'n-le-Sp'ng)
Cluse, W. S. Lathan, G. Strauss, G. R. (Lambeth, N.)
Cocks, F. S. Lawson, J. J. Summerskill, Dr. Edith
Collindridge, F. Leach, W. Taylor, R. J. (Morpeth)
Cove, W. G. Lee, F. Thorne, W.
Daggar, G. Leonard, W. Thurtle, E.
Davies, R. J. (Westhoughton) Leslie, J. R. Tinker, J. J.
Davies, S. O. (Merthyr) Lipson, D. L. Tomlinson, G.
Dobbie, W. Logan, D. G. Viant, S. P.
Dunn, E. (Rother Valley) Lunn, W. Walkden, A. G.
Ede, J. C. Macdonald, G. Once) Watson, W. McL.
Edwards, A. (Middlesbrough E.) McEntee, V. La T. Welsh, J. C.
Edwards, Sir C. (Bedwellty) McGhee, H. G. White, H. Graham
Evans, E. (Univ. of Wales) McGovern, J. Wilkinson, Ellen
Foot, D. M. MacLaren, A. Williams, E. J. (Ogmore)
Gardner, B. W. Maclean, N. Williams, T. (Don Valley)
Garro Jones, G. M. Wander, G. le M. Wilson, C. H. (Attercliffe)
George, Major G. Lloyd (Pembroke) Maxton, J. Windsor, W. (Hull, C.)
George, Megan Lloyd (Anglesey) Messer, F. Woods, G. S. (Finsbury)
Gibbins, J. Montague, F. Young, Sir R. (Newton)
Graham, D. M. (Hamilton) Morrison, R. C. (Tottenham, N.)
Green, W. H. (Deptford) Muff, G. TELLERS FOR THE AYES.—
Greenwood, Rt. Hon. A. Naylor, T. E. Mr. Whiteley and Mr. Mathers.
Grenfell, D. R. Noel-Baker, P. J.
NOES.
Acland-Troyte, Lt.-Col. G. J. Furness, S. N. Peake, O.
Adams, S. V. T. (Leeds, W.) Fyfe, D. P. M. Peat, C. U.
Albery, Sir Irving Gluckstein, L. H. Perkins, W. R. D.
Allen, Col. J. Sandeman (B'knhead) Goldie, N. B. Petherick, M.
Anderson, Sir A. Garrett (C. of Ldn.) Graham, Captain A. C. (Wirral) Pilkington, R.
Anderson, Rt. Hn. Sir J. (Sc'h Univ's) Grant-Ferris, Flight-Lieutenant R. Ponsonby, Col. C. E.
Anstruther-Gray, W. J. Grattan-Doyle, Sir N. Porritt, R. W.
Apsley, Lord Gretton, Col. Rt. Hon. J. Procter, Major H. A.
Aske, Sir R. W. Gridley, Sir A. B. Radford, E. A.
Assheton, R. Grigg, Sir E. W. M. Raikes, H. V. A. M.
Astor, Major Hon. J. J. (Dover) Grimston, R. V. Ramsay, Captain A. H. M.
Astor, Viscountess (Plymouth, Sutton) Guest, Hon. I. (Brecon and Radnor) Rankin, Sir R.
Baldwin-Webb, Col. J. Gunston, Capt. Sir D. W. Rathbone, J. R. (Bodmin)
Balniel, Lord Hambro, A. V. Reed, A. C. (Exeter)
Baxter, A. Beverley Hannah, I. C. Reed, Sir H. S. (Aylesbury)
Beauchamp, Sir B. C. Harbord, A. Reid, W. Allan (Derby)
Beaumont, Hon. R. E. B. (Portsm'h) Haslam, Henry (Horncastle) Renter, J. R.
Beechman, N. A. Haslam, Sir J. (Bolton) Rickards, G. W. (Skipton)
Bennett, Sir E. H. Heilgers, Captain F. F. A. Ropner, Colonel L.
Bernays, R. H. Hely-Hutchinson, M. R. Ross Taylor, W. (Woodbridge)
Blair, Sir R. Heneage, Lieut.-Colonel A. P. Rowlands, G.
Bossom, A. C. Hepburn, P. G. T. Buchan- Royds, Admiral Sir P. M. R.
Boulton, W. W. Hepworth, J. Ruggles-Brise, Colonel Sir E. A.
Bower, Comdr. R. T. Higgs, W. F. Russell, Sir Alexander
Braithwaite, J. Gurney (Holderness) Hoare, Rt. Hon. Sir S. Russell, S. H. M. (Darwen)
Brass, Sir W. Holdsworth, H. Salt, E. W.
Briscoe, Capt. R. G. Hopkinson. A. Samuel, M. R. A.
Broadbridge, Sir G. T. Hore-Belisha, Rt. Hon. L. Sandeman, Sir N. S.
Brocklebank, Sir Edmund Howitt, Dr. A. B. Sanderson, Sir F. B.
Brooke, H. (Lewisham, W.) Hudson, Capt. A. U. M. (Hack., N.) Sandys, E. D.
Brown, Rt. Hon. E. (Leith) Hunter, T. Schuster, Sir G. E.
Brown, Brig.-Gen. H. C. (Newbury) Hutchinson, G. C. Scott, Lord William
Bull, B. B. James, Wing-Commander A. W. H. Selley, H. R.
Burgin, Rt. Hon. E. L. Jarvis, Sir J. J. Shaw, Captain W. T. (Forfar)
Butcher, H. W. Jones, L. (Swansea W.) Shepperson, Sir E. W.
Campbell, Sir E. T. Keeling, E. H. Simon, Rt. Hon. Sir J. A.
Carver, Major W. H. Kerr, H. W. (Oldham) Smiles, Lieut.-Colonel Sir W. D.
Castlereagh, Viscount Kerr, J. Graham (Scottish Univs.) Smith, Sir R. W. (Aberdeen)
Cayzer, Sir C. W. (City of Chester) Keyes, Admiral of the Fleet Sir R. Smithers, Sir W.
Cayzer, Sir H. R. (Portsmouth, S.) Kimball, L. Snadden, W. McN.
Cazalet, Thelma (Islington, E.) Lamb, Sir J. O. Somervell, Rt. Hon. Sir Donald
Chamberlain, Rt. Hn. N. (Edgb't'n) Lambert, Rt. Hon. G. Somerville, A. A. (Windsor)
Channon, H. Lancaster, Captain C. G. Southby, Commander Sir A. R. I.
Chapman, Sir S. (Edinburgh, S.) Leighton, Major B. E. P. Spears, Brigadier-General E. L.
Christie, J. A. Lennox-Boyd, A. T. L. Spens, W. P.
Clarke, Colonel R. S. (E. Grinstead) Lewis, O. Stanley, Rt. Hon. Oliver (W'm'ld)
Cobb, Captain E. C. (Preston) Liddall, W. S. Stourton, Major Hon. J. J.
Colville, Rt. Hon. John Lindsay, K. M. Strauss, H. G. (Norwich)
Conant, Captain R. J. E. Loftus, P. C. Strickland, Captain W. F.
Cooke, J. D. (Hammersmith, S.) Mabane, W. (Huddersfield) Stuart, Lord C. Crichton- (N'thw'h)
Cooper, Rt. Hn. T. M. (E'nburgh, W.) M'Connell, Sir J. Stuart, Hon. J. (Moray and Nairn)
Critchley, A. McCorquodale, M. S. Sueter, Rear-Admiral Sir M. F.
Croft, Brig.-Gen. Sir H. Page Macdonald, Capt. P. (Isle of Wight) Sutcliffe, H.
Crooke, Sir J. Smedley McEwen, Capt. J. H. F. Tate, Mavis C.
Crookshank, Capt. Rt. Hon. H. F. C. McKie, J. H. Taylor, C. S. (Eastbourne)
Cross, R. H. Macnamara, Lieut.-Colonel J. R. J. Thomas, J. P. L.
Crossley, A. C. Macquisten, F. A. Thomson, Sir J. D. W.
Crowder, J. F. E. Magnay, T. Thornton-Kemsley, C. N.
Cruddas, Col. B. Maitland, Sir Adam Touche, G. C.
Culverwell, C. T. Makins, Brigadier-General Sir Ernest Tufnell, Lieut.-Commander R. L.
Davison, Sir W. H. Margesson, Capt. Rt. Hon. H. D. R. Turton, R. H.
De Chair, S. S. Marsden, Commander A. Wakefield, W. W.
De la Bère, R. Mason, Lt.-Col. Hon. G. K. M. Wallace, Capt. Rt. Hon. Euan
Denman, Hon. R. D. Maxwell, Hon. S. A. Ward, Lieut.-Col. Sir A. L. (Hull)
Denville, Alfred Mellor, Sir J. S. P. (Tamworth) Ward, Irene M. B. (Wallsend)
Dodd, J. S. Mills, Sir F. (Leyton, E.) Wardlaw-Milne, Sir J. S.
Dorman-Smith, Col. Rt. Hon. Sir R. H. Mills, Major J. D. (New Forest) Warrender, Sir V.
Duckworth, Arthur (Shrewsbury) Mitchell, H. (Brentford and Chiswick) Whiteley, Major J. P. (Buckingham)
Dugdale, Captain T. L. Moore, Lieut.-Col. Sir T. C. R. Wickham, Lt.-Col. E. T. R.
Duggan, H. J. Moore-Brabazon, Lt.-Col. J. T. C. Williams, C. (Torquay)
Duncan, J. A. L. Moreing, A. C. Williams, H. G. (Croydon, S.)
Dunglass, Lord Morgan, R. H. (Worcester, Stourbridge) Wilson, Lt.-Col. Sir A. T. (Hitchin)
Edmondson, Major Sir J. Morris, O. T. (Cardiff, E.) Wise, A. R.
Elliot, Rt. Hon. W. E. Morris-Jones, Sir Henry Womersley, Sir W. J.
Ellis, Sir G. Morrison, Rt. Hon. W. S. (Cirencester) Wood, Hon. C. I. C.
Elliston, Capt. G. S. Neven-Spence, Major B. H. H. Wright, Wing-Commander J. A. C.
Emery, J. F. Nicolson, Hon. H. G. York, C.
Emmott, C. E. G. C. O'Connor, Sir Terence J. Young, A. S. L. (Partick)
Emrys-Evans, P. V. O'Neill, Rt. Hon. Sir Hugh
Entwistle, Sir C. F. Orr-Ewing, 1. L. TELLERS FOR THE NOES.—
Findlay, Sir E. Palmer, G. E. H. Captain Waterhouse and Mr. Munro.
Fleming, E. L. Patrick, C. M
Division No. 131.] AYES. [6.27 p.m.
Acland, Rt. Hon. Sir F. Dyke Greenwood, Rt. Hon. A. Owen, Major G.
Acland, R. T. D. (Barnstaple) Grenfell, D. R. Paling, W.
Adams, D. (Consett) Griffiths, G. A. (Hemsworth) Parker, J.
Adams, D. M. (Poplar, S.) Griffiths, J. (Llanelly) Parkinson, J. A.
Adamson, Jennie L. (Dartford) Groves, T. E. Pearson, A.
Adamson, W. M. Hall, J. H. (Whitechapel) Price, M. P.
Ammon, C. G. Hardie, Agnes Pritt, D. N.
Anderson, F. (Whitehaven) Harris, Sir P. A. Quibell, D. J. K.
Attlee, Rt. Hon. C. R. Harvey, T. E. (Eng. Univ's.) Rathbone, Eleanor (English Univ's.)
Banfield, J. W. Hayday, A. Richards, R. (Wrexham)
Barnes, A. J. Henderson, A. (Kingswinford) Riley, B.
Barr, J. Henderson, J. (Ardwick) Ritson, J.
Batey, J. Henderson, T. (Tradeston) Roberts, W. (Cumberland, N.)
Bellenger, F. J. Hicks, E. G. Robinson, W. A. (St. Helens)
Benn, Rt. Hon. W. W. Hills, A. (Pontefract) Sanders, W. S.
Bevan, A. Hopkin, D. Seely, Sir H. M.
Broad, F. A. Jagger, J. Sexton, T. M.
Bromfield, W. Jenkins, A. (Pontypool) Shinwell, E.
Brown, C. (Mansfield) Jenkins, Sir W. (Neath) Silverman, S. S.
Buchanan, G. Johnston, Rt. Hon. T. Sloan, A.
Burke, W. A. Jones, A. C. (Shipley) Smith, Ben (Rotherhithe)
Cape, T. Jones, Sir H. Haydn (Merioneth) Smith, E. (Stoke)
Charleton, H. C. Kennedy, Rt. Hon. T. Smith, Rt. Hon. H. B. Lees- (K'ly)
Chater, D. Kirkwood, D. Smith, T. (Normanton)
Cluse, W. S. Lansbury, Rt. Hen: G. Stephen, C.
Cocks, F. S. Lathan, G. Stewart, W. J. (H'ght'n-le-Sp'ng)
Collindridge, F. Lawson, J. J. Strauss, G. R. (Lambeth, N.)
Cove, W. G. Leach, W. Summerskill, Dr. Edith
Daggar, G. Lee, F. Taylor, R. J. (Morpeth)
Davies, R. J. (Westhoughton) Leonard, W. Thorne, W.
Davies, S. O. (Merthyr) Leslie, J. R. Thurtle, E.
Day, H. Lunn, W. Tinker, J. J.
Dobbie, W. Macdonald, G. (Ince) Tomlinson, G.
Dunn, E. (Rother Valley) McEntee, V. La T. Viant, S. P.
Ede, J. C. McGhee, H. G. Walkden, A. G.
Edwards, A. (Middlesbrough E.) McGovern, J. Watson, W. McL.
Edwards, Sir C. (Bedwellty) MacLaren, A. Welsh, J. C.
Evans, D. O. (Cardigan) Maclean, N. Westwood, J.
Evans, E. (Univ. of Wales) Mander, G. le M. Whiteley, W. (Blaydon)
Fletcher, Lt.-Comdr. R. T. H. Maxton, J. Wilkinson, Ellen
Foot, D. M. Messer, F. Williams, E. J. (Ogmore)
Gardner, B. W. Milner, Major J. Williams, T. (Don Valley)
Garro Jones, G. M. Montague, F. Wilson, C. H. (Attercliffe)
George, Rt. Hon. D. Lloyd (Carn'v'n) Morrison, R. C. (Tottenham, N.) Windsor, W. (Hull, C.)
George, Major G, Lloyd (Pembroke) Muff, G. Woods, G. S. (Finsbury)
George, Megan Lloyd (Anglesey) Nathan, Colonel H. L. Young, Sir R. (Newton)
Gibbins, J. Naylor, T. E.
Graham, D. M. (Hamilton) Noel-Baker, P. J. TELLERS FOR THE AYES.—
Green, W. H. (Deptford) Oliver, G. H. Mr. John and Mr. Mathers.
NOES.
Acland-Troyte, Lt.-Col. G. J. Butcher, H. W. Dodd, J. S.
Adams, S. V. T. (Leeds, W.) Campbell, Sir E. T. Duckworth, Arthur (Shrewsbury)
Agnew, Lieut.-Comdr. P. G. Carver, Major W. H. Dugdale, Captain T. L.
Albery, Sir Irving Cayzer, Sir C. W. (City of Chester) Duggan, H. J.
Allen, Col. J. Sandeman (B'knhead) Cayzer, Sir H. R. (Portsmouth, S.) Duncan, J. A. L.
Anderson, Sir A. Garrett (C. of Ldn.) Cazalet, Thelma (Islington, E.) Dunglass, Lord
Anderson, Rt. Hn. Sir J. (Sc'h Univ's) Cazalet, Capt. V. A. (Chippenham) Eastwood, J. F.
Anstruther-Gray, W. J. Channon, H. Edmondson, Major Sir J.
Apsley, Lord Chapman, A. (Rutherglen) Elliot, Rt. Hon. W. E.
Assheton, R. Chapman, Sir S. (Edinburgh, S.) Ellis, Sir G.
Astor, Major Hon. J. J. (Dover) Christie, J. A. Elliston, Capt. G. S.
Astor, Viscountess (Plymouth, Sutton) Clarke, Colonel R. S. (E. Grinstead) Emery, J. F.
Baillie, Sir A. W. M. Cobb, Captain E. C. (Preston) Emmott, C. E. G. C.
Balniel, Lord Colfox, Major W. P. Emrys-Evans, P. V.
Baxter, A. Beverley Conant, Captain R. J. E. Entwistle, Sir C. F.
Beauchamp, Sir B. C. Cook, Sir T. R. A. M. (Norfolk, N.) Erskine-Hill, A. G.
Beaumont, Hon. R. E. B. (Portsm'h) Cocke, J. D. (Hammersmith, S.) Everard, Sir William Lindsay
Beechman, N. A. Cooper, Rt. Hn. T. M. (E'nburgh, W.) Findlay, Sir E.
Bennett, Sir E. N. Courtauld, Major J. S. Fleming, E. L.
Bernays, R. H. Critchley, A. Fox, Sir G. W. G.
Blair, Sir R. Croft, Brig.-Gen. Sir H. Page Furness, S. N.
Bossom, A. C. Crooke, Sir J. Smedley Fyfe, D. P. M.
Boulton, W. W. Cross, R. H. Gibson, Sir C. G. (Pudsey and Otley)
Braithwaite, J. Gurney (Holderness) Crowder, J. F. E. Gluckstein, L. H.
Brass, Sir W. Culverwell, C. T. Goldie, N. B.
Briscoe, Capt. R. G. De Chair, S. S. Gower, Sir R. V.
Brooke, H. (Lewisham, W.) De la Bère, R. Graham, Captain A. C. (Wirral)
Brown, Rt. Hon. E. (Leith) Denman, Hon. R. D. Gretton, Col. Rt. Hon. J.
Brown, Brig.-Gen. H. C. (Newbury) Denville, Alfred Gridley, Sir A. B.
Bull, B. B. Despencer-Robertson, Major J. A. F. Grigg, Sir E. W. M.
Grimston, R. V. Marsden, Commander A. Selley, H. R.
Gunston, Capt. Sir D. W. Mason, Lt.-Col. Hon. G. K. M. Shepperson, Sir E. W.
Hacking, Rt. Hon. Sir D. H. Maxwell, Hon. S. A. Shute, Colonel Sir J. J.
Hambro, A. V. Meller, Sir R. J. (Mitcham) Smiles, Lieut.-Colonel Sir W. D.
Hannah, I. C. Mellor, Sir J. S. P. (Tamworth) Smith, Sir R. W. (Aberdeen)
Hannon, Sir P. J. H. Mills, Sir F. (Leyton, E.) Smithers, Sir W.
Harbord, A. Mills, Major J. D. (New Forest) Snadden, W. MON.
Haslam, Henry (Horncastle) Mitchell, H. (Brentford and Chiswick) Somervell, Rt. Hon. Sir Donald
Haslam, Sir J. (Bolton) Moore, Lieut.-Col. Sir T. C. R. Somerville, A. A. (Windsor)
Heilgers, Captain F. F. A. Moreing, A. C. Southby, Commander Sir A. R. J.
Hely-Hutchinson, M. R. Morgan, R. H. (Worcester, Stourbridge) Spears, Brigadier-General E. L.
Heneage, Lieut. -Colonel A. P. Morris, O. T. (Cardiff, E.) Spens, W. P.
Hepburn, P. G. T. Buchan- Morris-Jones, Sir Henry Stourton, Major Hon. J. J.
Hepworth, J. Neven-Spence, Major B. H. H. Strauss, H. G. (Norwich)
Higgs, W. F. Nicholson, G. (Farnham) Strickland, Captain W. F.
Holdsworth, H. O'Connor, Sir Terence J. Stuart, Lord C. Crichton- (N'thw'h)
Holmes, J. S. O'Neill, Rt. Hon. Sir Hugh Stuart, Hon. J. (Moray and Nairn)
Hopkinson, A. Orr-Ewing, I. L. Sutcliffe, H.
Hore-Belisha, Rt. Hon. L. Palmer, G. E. H. Tate, Mavis C.
Howitt, Dr. A. B. Patrick, C. M. Taylor, C. S. (Eastbourne)
Hudson, Capt. A. U. M. (Hack., N.) Peake, O. Thomas, J. P. L.
Hunter, T. Peat, C. U. Thomson, Sir J. D. W.
Hutchinson, G. C. Perkins, W. R. D. Thorneycroft, G. E. P.
James, Wing-Commander A. W. H. Petherick, M. Thornton-Kemsley, C. N.
Jarvis, Sir J. J. Pickthorn, K. W. M. Touche, G. C.
Jones, L. (Swansea W.) Pilkington, R. Train, Sir J.
Keeling, E H. Ponsonby, Col. C. E. Tree, A. R. L. F.
Kerr, H. W. (Oldham) Porritt, R. W. Tufnell, Lieut. -Commander R. L.
Kerr, J. Graham (Scottish Univs.) Procter, Major H. A. Turton, R. H.
Keyes, Admiral of the Fleet Sir R. Radford, E. A. Wakefield, W. W.
Kimball, L. Raikes, H. V. A. M. Wallace, Capt. Rt. Hon. Euan
Lamb, Sir J. Q. Ramsay, Captain A. H. M. Ward, Lieut.-Col. Sir A. L. (Hull)
Lambert, Rt. Hon. G. Ramsbotham, H. Ward, Irene M. B. (Wallsend)
Lancaster, Captain C. G. Rankin, Sir R. Wardlaw-Milne, Sir J. S.
Law, R. K. (Hull, S.W.) Rathbone, J. R. (Bodmin) Warrender, Sir V.
Leighton, Major B. E. P. Rayner, Major R. H. Waterhouse, Captain C.
Lennox-Boyd, A. T. L. Reed, A. C. (Exeter) Wedderburn, H. J. S.
Lewis, O. Reid, W. Allan (Derby) Wells, Sir Sydney
Liddall, W. S. Renter, J. R. Whiteley, Major J. P. (Buckingham)
Lindsay, K. M. Rickards, G. W. (Skipton) Wickham, Lt.-Col. E. T. R.
Lipion, D. L. Ropner, Colonel L. Williams, C. (Torquay)
Little, J. Ross Taylor, W. (Woodbridge) Williams, H. G. (Croydon, S.)
Loftus, P. C. Rowlands, G. Wilson, Lt.-Col. Sir A. T. (Hitchin)
Mabane, W. (Huddtrsfield) Royds, Admiral Sir P. M. R. Wise, A. R.
McCorquodale, M. S. Ruggles-Brise, Colonel Sir E. A. Womersley, Sir W. J.
Macdonald, Capt. P. (Isle of Wight) Russell, Sir Alexander Wood, Hon. C. I. C.
McEwen, Capt. J. H. F. Russell, R. J. (Eddisbury) Wragg, H.
McKie, J. H. Russell, S. H. M. (Darwen) Wright, Wing-Commander J. A. C.
Macquisten, F. A. Salmon, Sir I. York, C.
Magnay, T. Salt, E. W. Young, A. S. L. (Partick)
Maitland, Sir Adam Samuel, M. R. A.
Makins, Brigadier-General Sir Ernest Sandeman, Sir N. S. TELLERS FOR THE NOES.—
Margesson, Capt. Rt. Hon. H. D. R. Sandys, E. D. Mr. Munro and Lieut.-Colonel Harvie Watt.
Markham, S. F. Schuster, Sir G. E.