Sir Douglas Hacking: Of course, I bow to your Ruling, Mr. Speaker. I must appeal to you because this is the first speech that I have made in this House during the last six years, and possibly as a result of that I have become a little rusty. If I may give my argument to you, with the greatest respect, I do not want to give up my rights in respect of Private Members' legislation unless I know what I am going to...
Sir Douglas Hacking: I do not intend to go into any detail at all, but I ask my right hon. and learned Friend whether he will give some more direct indication as to the volume of opposition which would be necessary, in his opinion, if legislation were considered to be contentious. I would make the offer to him that as far as this Bill, which I cannot mention, is concerned, I would be quite prepared to accept a...
Sir Douglas Hacking: asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can now state the result of his review of the adequacy of existing Army cadet grants?
Sir Douglas Hacking: asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give consideration to the reduction of the qualifying periods for substantive ranks of non-commissioned officers?
Sir Douglas Hacking: Is my right hon. Friend aware that an acting corporal has to wait three months before he gets substantive rank and a warrant officer no less than 12 months, and that if in the meantime either of them is sick or injured for a period of 21 days, he has to revert to his previous rank? Does he think that is in the interests of good soldiering?
Sir Douglas Hacking: asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can now state the results of his review of the adequacy of existing Army cadet grants?
Sir Douglas Hacking: In view of the fact that it is now four months since I drew the attention of my right hon. Friend to this matter, will he tell me when he can give me a decision?
Sir Douglas Hacking: asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the almost universal dissatisfaction amongst officers and other ranks in the Army in respect of the granting of acting and temporary ranks; and whether, in order to put an end to the uncertainty and hardship inseparable from the present system, he will abolish the temporary rank of officers and reduce the length of qualifying periods...
Sir Douglas Hacking: So far as I am aware, the only films which could be so described are those to which my right hon. Friend referred in his reply to a question by the hon. Member on 25th February.
Sir Douglas Hacking: I think the hon. Member had a reply to a very similar question when he asked this question on the last occasion.
Sir Douglas Hacking: I repeat that this is practically the same question that the hon. Member asked a few days ago, and consequently the reply was almost the same.
Sir Douglas Hacking: The total assistance from the Colonial Development Fund to the Newfoundland Government which has so far been approved amounts to £670,500. This sum includes two loans of £100,000 each in respect of schemes for fishery development and land settlement. These are designed to assist in relieving the unemployment position both by a rehabilitation of the fishery industry and by providing...
Sir Douglas Hacking: I have given the amount of the grants, but, of course, it is quite impossible to say exactly how much employment has resulted from any particular grant.
Sir Douglas Hacking: Yes, there has been an improvement, and I should imagine there will be a still greater improvement.
Sir Douglas Hacking: No, Sir; not without notice.
Sir Douglas Hacking: My right hon. Friend has seen the members of the Commission of Government now in this country and has discussed with them the effect on the economic position of the island of the recent set-back in the fishing industry. He will consult the Governor as to the possibilities of issuing shortly a further Command Paper containing a report on the local situation.
Sir Douglas Hacking: I am afraid I cannot promise that, but there will be no undue delay.
Sir Douglas Hacking: There are two reasons why I have not previously attempted to catch your eye, Sir. The first is that I have been so content in listening to all the interesting speeches that have been made from every quarter of the House that I have not desired to break that sequence. The second and main reason for my delay in getting up is that there is very little really that I can usefully add to the...
Sir Douglas Hacking: I am willing to accept the correction. That may be true, but I must admit that on this occasion I have to agree with the hon. Member for Roth-well (Mr. Lunn) when he says that if we had emigrated such a huge number of persons during the last 20 years, although it might have cured unemployment in this country, what would have been the state of unemployment in the Dominions?
Sir Douglas Hacking: I am glad my hon. and gallant Friend accepts that. That is proof that we cannot rightly suggest to the Dominions that they should take our unemployed population unless they can absorb them to advantage. I now turn to that part of the Motion which makes a practical suggestion, namely, that the time has arrived when immediate steps should be taken to survey possibilities for restarting...