HC Deb 20 February 1940 vol 357 c1181W
Mr. Isaacs

asked the Minister of Labour whether the following grades of workers who are employed in the publishing departments of newspapers come within the definition "warehousemen, who are responsible for the receipt and despatch of the publications of newspaper firms": circulation traveller, elevator hand, returns clerk, publisher's clerk, label hand, publisher, section charge hand, checker, station despatchers and commission workers on evening newspapers; and, in view of the fact that packers are performing one of the most responsible and one of the most arduous of the services in a newspaper publishing department, why they are not on the list of reserved occupations?

Mr. E. Brown

A publisher in charge of the publishing department is regarded as a "department manager (works, factory, etc.)," and is accordingly reserved at the age of 25. None of the other grades mentioned in the Question is reserved. Packers are not reserved in any branch of industry. The position of packers employed in the publishing departments of newspapers has been carefully considered on more than one occasion, and I am satisfied that their reservation would not be justified.