§ Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that, owing to the difficulty in securing the customary labour for the discharge of coal at Devonport Dockyard on account of the reduced wages being paid by the Admiralty as compared with those formerly paid by the contractor, recourse has been had to the Labour Exchange and men have been engaged who have no knowledge whatever of the business or of the customary rates of pay; and whether he will take steps to see that men are not engaged through the Labour Exchange at wages undercutting the customary rates of pay?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAOn one occasion inexperienced men were, I understand, engaged through the Labour Exchange. They were paid according to the approved scheme of prices, but as the earnings of all the men were pooled, it no doubt resulted that some men received more and others less than they actually earned for the particular portion of the operations on which engaged The system of pooling has been discontinued, and, from a personal investigation of the matter whilst at Devonport a month ago, I should say that the difficulty is at an end.