Mr. TYSON WILSONasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the custom of increasing the time rates of wages of men employed in the Royal Laboratory, Woolwich Arsenal, for ten, twenty, and thirty years, respectively, has been to some extent discontinued, particularly with regard to the men of thirty years' service; whether the reason for this is because of the raising of the general minimum to 23s. a week; and, if so, will he state what the connection is, in view of the fact that the increases referred to were given to men because they were specially capable?
§ Mr. ACLANDYes, Sir. The custom has been modified, but increases in the day work rates are still granted in the Royal Laboratory and in the other Ordnance factories, at the discretion of the chief superintendent, in consideration of length of service among other qualifications. The chief object of the slight modification of custom was to bring the1094W practice of the Royal Laboratory into line with that in general use in the Ordnance factories.