§ Captain C. Smithasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the withdrawal of prisoner-of-war labour from farms for re-grouping and re-testing, with very short notice to W.A.E.C.s, is a practice which causes loss of agricultural production; and whether he will give an assurance that such withdrawals do not take place in the future without a minimum of four days' notice to the executive committee concerned.
§ Mr. LawsonPrisoner-of-war working camps normally receive adequate notice when withdrawal of prisoner-of-war labour is necessary for screening pur-326W poses, and there is a representative of the local war agricultural executive committee for each working camp. But occasionally special circumstances make the normal notice difficult. Prisoner-of-war labour is not, however, withdrawn in such cases for longer than 24 hours and such withdrawals are a rare occurrence in any camp.