§ 47. Mr. Lyonsasked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware of the delay that is being made in surrendering certain required railings in Fleetwood; whether, in view of past events, he will no longer acquiesce in this or any other delay of such material wanted for the war effort; and whether he will use his compulsory powers for acquisition of these railings forthwith?
§ Sir A. DuncanI understand that the Fleetwood Council are reconsidering their decision not to surrender certain ornamental railings belonging to them. In general, substantial quantities of railings for use as scrap are coming forward steadily under the present arrangements, but I shall not hesitate to use compulsory powers as and when necessary.
§ Mr. LyonsIn view of the fact that my right hon. Friend wanted these railings and asked for them for war purposes, why on earth should Fleetwood Council or any other council stand in his way; is not. this just a repetition of the delay that occurred in reference to Berkeley Square, which he said he would not countenance, and will he drop this "flag-day" attitude on this matter?
§ Sir A. DuncanThere is no flag-day attitude on this question, which is an ordinary business operation. The moment we find that it is necessary to use compulsory powers to obtain the scrap required for our manufacturing purposes, compulsory powers will be taken.
§ Mr. LipsonWill the right hon. Gentleman write to local authorities and request them to consider whether they cannot surrender more railings than they have already done?
§ Sir A. DuncanYes, Sir, we are in constant communication with local authorities and different Departments on the question of railings.
§ Sir A. DuncanWe have powers, but we require more powers of compulsion, and those powers will be asked for as soon as it is felt necessary.