§ 14. Sir Stanley Reedasked the Minister of Information the salary drawn by the officer in charge of the censorship organisation in the West Indies, with headquarters in Bermuda; the strength of the personnel under his direction; the rent paid for offices; and the annual cost of the organisation to the Exchequer?
§ Mr. BrackenI should like to give my hon. Friend all the particulars, but it is not possible on security grounds to make public information about the censorship organisation at Bermuda. I can, however, say that the salary of the officer in charge is £1,000 a year.
§ Sir S. ReedMay I ask my right hon. Friend whether, without disclosing confidential information, he will make inquiries into this organisation, with a view to ascertaining whether the extensive scale on which the personnel is engaged is justified, in view of the limited amount of work in these islands and the entry of the United States into the war?
§ Mr. BrackenI will certainly make inquiries, but I do not think that there is an excessive staff in Bermuda. I cannot agree with my hon. Friend that there is little work to be done. There is a great deal to be done, but I understand that the chief of this department is cutting out surplus staff everywhere.