§ 21. Mr. Sorensenasked the Minister of Labour approximately how many cases of refusal to employ labour because of colour or social discrimination have been brought to his notice; and, particularly, in how many cases employers accepted a person recommended by the employment exchange and then rejected him when it was discovered the person was coloured.
§ Sir W. MoncktonStatistics are not available, but very few cases have been recently brought to my notice of employers refusing to consider coloured workers for their notified vacancies.
§ Mr. SorensenIs not the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that he has admitted, at least by implication, that there are some cases, such as when a man is accepted and then rejected when he is found to be of colour? In those circumstances, could not the Minister take some special action and make that a penal offence?
§ Sir W. MoncktonI am not aware of any case where a man, after being recommended by the employment exchange, has been rejected when it was discovered that he is coloured, because in most cases employers do not engage the man until they have seen him. Of course, there 548 are cases in which, when employers notify vacancies, they say they would rather have white labour if available or, if they already have coloured labour, they do not want any more. But, apart from that, I have had no cases brought to my notice.
§ Mr. MarloweDoes not the greatest difficulty come, not from the employers but from the workers themselves, such as in the case of the shunters at King's Cross who refused to work with a coloured man?