§ Mr. WILLIAM THORNEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that a number of youths employed at Messrs. Tate's sugar works, Silvertown, West Ham, recently came out on strike in consequence of the conditions of labour imposed upon them, and that the company applied to the Labour Exchange in Victoria Dock Road and were supplied with blackleg labour; and whether, in view of the growing number of complaints from many parts of the country of the Labour Exchanges supplying employers with blackleg labour, he will issue a circular to 1495W Labour Exchange managers authorising them to refuse to supply labour to any industrial establishment where a strike or lock-out is in progress?
Mr. BUXTONI am informed that this firm recently applied to the Canning Town Labour Exchange for a number of youths, explaining that the vacancies were connected with a trade dispute. No formal notice of a strike was filed at the Labour Exchange by either party, but each of the few lads who applied for the work through the exchange was carefully warned by the manager of the circumstances of the vacancies. I am always ready to inquire into any complaints brought to my notice; but I have no reason, as at present advised, to think that an alteration is desirable in the procedure laid down in the Statutory Regulations, which were fully complied with in the present case.