Mr. T. WILSONasked the Minister of Munitions if he is aware that Mr. W. G. Tarrant, of Byfleet, Surrey, who is building huts for the Army in France, is sending women out to assist with the work; will he state under what conditions these women are engaged; are they being paid at the same rate as men when employed on work usually done by men; do the provisions of the Munitions Acts apply to them; and what provisions are made for the housing, feeding, and general welfare of these women?
§ Mr. FORSTERMessrs. Tarrant are employing a few women as carpenters in France as an experimental measure. They are housed in Army huts built by the contractor for them, and work under a fore-644W woman who is herself directly under Messrs. Tarrant's French manager. A housekeeper-cook and a lady supervisor have been engaged. The women have only been in France about a fortnight and a report will be asked for whether the work and general conditions are satisfactory. Their output and their pay is about half that of men. They do the lighter kinds of carpentry. The Munitions Act does not apply to them.