§ Mr. JOHN WARDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the exact site upon which the contractor is about to erect huts for the accommodation of the workmen at Rosyth; whether the huts proposed to be erected are those which were recently sold second hand at Immingham, and have already been many years in use; and whether it is a bona fide attempt to house the whole body of the workmen, or only a selected few, as a provision against a contemplated strike in the spring?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAA site for the erection of huts for the accommodation of workmen has been allocated to the contractor at Rosyth and approved by the Admiralty. The site is a central one, and close to the works; and, if my hon. Friend desires, I should be pleased to indicate it to him on a plan. I have been informed that the huts proposed to be erected are those recently sold at Immingham, but the plans and arrangements will be submitted to the Admiralty engineer. I may add that I have received the firm's assurance that they will be very pleased to carry out the work in connection with the huts and their sanitary and other arrangements in a manner which will be equal to the reasonable requirements of the Scottish Local Government Board. With reference to the accommodation to be provided, I would refer my hon. Friend to the particulars I gave to the hon. Member for Stirling Burghs in reply to his question on 18th December. It is the contractors' intention to supplement existing housing accommodation, and not to provide huts for the whole body of workmen employed on the works, many of whom would not, undoubtedly, leave their present accommodation to avail themselves of the proposed new provision.
§ Mr. JOHN WARDasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the recruiting of cheap labour in the southern districts of Ireland for the new dock works at Rosyth; whether he is aware that the navvies and labourers on those works are contemplating another struggle in the spring to secure from the Government contractors 2276W the rate of 6d., now paid by other contractors in the district; and is his Department again connected in any way in this cheap labour recruiting with a view to supplying the Government contractor with labour should his workmen go on strike?
Mr. BUXTONI have no information with regard to the matters referred to by my hon. Friend. I understand that no steps have been taken by the Labour Exchanges, during recent months, to bring vacancies at Rosyth for navvies and labourers to the notice of applicants at a distance either in the South of Ireland or elsewhere. There is no foundation for the insinuation contained in the last part of the question.