Orders of the Day — Civil Estimates, 1940.

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 16 April 1940.

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Photo of Colonel Ralph Glyn Colonel Ralph Glyn , Abingdon

Where contracts have been given and where the foreman is an Irishman, you will find that there is a regular flow of Irishmen to take on jobs. It must be left largely to the foreman to engage the men. These men do come over from the South of Ireland and take on work which, in my opinion, could be done as well by British men. The other point I want to mention is this: We must all be aware that the policy of the Germans has been by infiltration and by propaganda to prepare a way for their future actions. It has been realised by the reports which we have received that already in Norway the Germans, somehow or other, were able to operate antiaircraft guns almost as soon as they got into that country. Clearly the guns did not go with them; they must have been brought there in advance, and they occupied important strategic positions. In some of our industries there are factories doing work of vital importance, and it must be the business of the Minister of National Service as well as the Minister of National Security, the Home Secretary, to see that there is a very careful check to ensure that we are quite sure of the credentials of those who are employed in our factories. We are an unsuspecting people, and we believe that other people have the same nice feelings as ourselves. We must realise that Nazi Germany is utterly ruthless, does not recognise truth from fiction and will adopt any tricks through its agents by means of sabotage and what is commonly known as the Fifth Column.

I am sure the Minister will support me when I say that we have been extremely fortunate in being able to utilise in the chemical and other industries a number of refugees from abroad who have quite honestly and genuinely made a great contribution to our war effort. I want to be quite sure—and I know there is not an hon. Member present who can say that he is sure—that there are not in this country some of those who have come here in the guise of refugees and who may perhaps be working constantly endeavouring to upset our war effort in our factories and workshops. This is a matter which can best be dealt with by the organisation of the trade unions. I believe that it is through their patriotic ideas that the best and quickest means can be found of spotting any of these individuals who are working in our factories for subversive ends. It is essential that we should not lose sight of the danger which may be in our midst of persons operating in positions of trust where at a given signal they can do considerable harm. This is not a question which can be put in the category of a sort of nightmare. It is something which has been done in almost every instance where the Germans have operated. Sometimes we in this country are in danger of not recognising how important it is to ensure that every key position is held by somebody upon whom we can rely.

The Minister should be congratulated on the speech which he gave to-day, and I am glad that there has been no comparison between the unemployment in this country and the lack of unemployment in Germany. There is unemployment in every sane country—there always has been, and always will be—and the fact that we have a reserve of man-power and an organistion to use that man-power sensibly means that we shall win through to victory if we remove what I believe to be feelings which are bad for the morale—feelings of suspicion and of unfair treatment. That can only be got rid of by the Trade Union Council, employers and the Government recognising that they must collaborate in order to bring industry to that pitch which is necessary to enable us to win the war which is based on industrial effort.