Sir Ian Fraser: Will the Minister especially consider the case of unemployment in connection with this matter, and so take that wider view of the question?
Sir Ian Fraser: 89. asked the Postmaster-General what revenue has been received by his Department as its share of broadcast receiving licence dues for the last available year; and what have been the expenses of his Department for the same period of printing and issuing these licences?
Sir Ian Fraser: Will my right hon. Friend say if it is not a fact that his Department has made a considerable profit from its share of these licence fees, and, if that is so, will he consider whether he can reduce the licence fees from his part of the payment without affecting the revenue of the British Broadcasting Company?
Sir Ian Fraser: 78. asked the Postmaster-General if, considering that in the year 1923-2-1 his Department made a profit of £ 20,000 odd in the administration of broadcast licences, and at the same time collected in advance during this period a large amount of money in respect of licences partly current during the financial year 1924-25, and considering also the increase' in licence payers during the last...
Sir Ian Fraser: May I ask the Noble Lord to give me an answer to the last part of the question?
Sir Ian Fraser: 49. asked the Prime Minister if he will give the House an opportunity of deciding the desirability of giving permission to the British Broadcasting Company for the broadcasting of the forthcoming speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the introduction of the Budget; and if he will also consider the whole question of permitting certain proceedings of this House to be broadcast?
Sir Ian Fraser: 61. asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that a number of listeners to wireless programmes have much of their pleasure destroyed by interference; and if he will utilise a portion of the profit which he holds as a result of his Department's share of broadcast licence fees for the purpose of causing a full administrative and technical inquiry into all interference with broadcasting...
Sir Ian Fraser: Can my hon. Friend assure the House that he will not utilise any portion of these profits, which rightly belong to listeners, by way of reducing taxation?
Sir Ian Fraser: The hon. Gentle man has severely indicted the, Prime Minister for having given a pledge which he claims is almost unconstitutional and is out of order. I suggest that the Leader of a party is entitled to give whatever pledges he pleases, provided he feels fairly confident that his party will follow him when a difficulty arises and the time comes. Towards the close of his remarks the hon....
Sir Ian Fraser: Six months ago this confederation was meeting together to discuss a matter on common ground—namely, wages and such conditions—and then the Treasury made an inquiry as to what was the number of persons represented by those various associations. The figures returned were, I understand, agreed by all sides, and they show that, out of 21,300, I think it was, who were represented by the...
Sir Ian Fraser: I did not say that a separate agreement was concluded; I said the right hon. Gentleman endeavoured to arrive at an agreement with them. At any rate, as I understand, every Government for the last few years has negotiated with these people. I would submit one other point before passing on to other criticism, and it is this. I do not think anyone in this House criticised the suggestion, and I...
Sir Ian Fraser: The hon. Member who moved the Second Reading of this Bill said this was not a party Measure. With all sincerity I say that I wish that I could take that view of it. I hope a e shall in the end be able to deal with this question in a manner which is not party In the few remarks which I am going to make I shall try to secure that end. This Bill must be a party Measure when we reflect that it...
Sir Ian Fraser: May I join in the words of appreciation which have been uttered in regard to the speech of the hon. Member for the Kennington Division of Lambeth (Mr. G. Harvey). I had the pleasure of being his colleague across the water for some time, and I am glad I have had the opportunity of hearing his valuable contribution to our Debate. There appears to me to be two or three points which have been...
Sir Ian Fraser: The Committee may rest assured that I shall not stand long between the right hon. Gentleman and the Committee. I have one point to make, and I will make it briefly. The hon. Member for Goyan (Mr. Maclean) tried to suggest that these pensions were inadequate by comparison with the pensions paid to ex-service men and their dependants, and he sought to make the argument that if the Minister of...
Sir Ian Fraser: I do not desire to enter into a long argument upon this case or the Amendment, because the case has been very clearly put. I want merely in a very few words to deny as emphatically as I can the allegation that the proposal which the Minister has made is either disgraceful or mean, or not put forward with the best possible intentions. It must be plain that there is a difficulty, and that the...
Sir Ian Fraser: I want to add my appeal in reference to the penny post. I do not propose to argue upon that point, because I am certain that all the advantages which the penny post would give to commerce and industry are present in the mind of the Postmaster-General. I would only touch upon one-aspect of the subject, which has not at present been mentioned, namely, the immense advantages of Imperial penny...
Sir Ian Fraser: 57. asked the Minister of Health how many houses have been built under State-aided schemes during the years 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1924, respectively, and in 1925 up to the present date: how many are now in course of construction; how many have been authorised; how many houses have been authorised under the Housing Act of 1923; and how many under the Housing (Financial Provisions)...
Sir Ian Fraser: 82. asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if any ex-service men at present employed as hydrographic draughtsmen in the Admiralty who may fail to pass the forthcoming examination for appointment to a permanent post on the established list will be transferred to the special permanent but non-pensioned class, initiated for the benefit of ex-service civil servants?
Sir Ian Fraser: Does not that mean that if these men have failed to obtain permanent positions, they will be dismissed, and, if so, may not that be regarded as a breach of the pledge given by the Government to these men?
Sir Ian Fraser: I cannot help rising to register a small protest against the suggestion of the hon. Member for Mossley (Mr. Hopkinson) with regard to the duty of the State or a municipality in the matter of the employment of its servants. One realises the logic of his argument One realises that he allows the private person, as indeed he must, to employ whom he likes as he likes, and that so far as the State...