§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether any employers in the Dominions oversea have made application to the Labour Exchanges for labour; whether he is aware that in certain cases labour has been supplied to Canadian employers through the Labour Exchanges; who paid the expenses of these men; and has any correspondence on the subject passed between the Labour Exchanges Department of the Board of Trade and the Assistant Commissioner of Canadian Immigration in London; and, if so, will he lay the same upon the Table of the House?
Mr. BUXTONVarious applications have been received from employers in the Over-seas Dominions for labour, and some of these have been filled after consultation with the representatives in London of the Dominion concerned. The expenses of these men have, so far as is known, been paid either by the employers or by the men themselves. In no case have expenses been advanced by the Labour Exchanges. The Board of Trade have received a communication from the Canadian Assistant Superintendent of Emigration in London with reference to a particular case, which is now under consideration.
§ Mr. LANSBURYasked the President of the Board of Trade if the Portsmouth or any other Labour Exchange has supplied any men to London printing firms whose men are on strike; whether the Portsmouth Exchange has received applications for work at these London firms in response to advertisements appearing in the local newspapers; and whether arrangements have at any time been made whereby the Labour Exchange authorities have supplied men applying for this work in London with free passes supplied by the employers enabling them to obtain free railway fares to London?
Mr. BUXTONAs I have already informed my hon. Friend on 20th March, no vacancies for printers in the London area have been notified to the Portsmouth Exchange, and no printers have been supplied through that or any other provincial Exchange for work in London. Vacancies affected by the dispute in the London printing trade have been dealt with at the London Labour Exchanges in strict accordance with the provisions of the General Regulations governing the procedure of Labour Exchanges in such cases. One application for an advance of fare to 779W enable the applicant to proceed to London in response to a newspaper advertisement for printers was received at the Portsmouth Exchange and was, of course, refused. No arrangements of the kind described in the last part of the question have been made.