§ 3. Rear-Admiral SUETERasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the report of the council of the Mercantile Marine Association, which discloses that one-sixth of our mercantile fleet lay idle in British ports in 1931 while 56,000 seamen of all grades were unemployed, his Department will do all that is possible to encourage manufacturers, shippers and importers to ship British?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI would refer to the answer which was given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary, on the 5th May to the hon. Member for South-West St. Pancras (Mr. Mitcheson) of which I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy.
§ Commander MARSDENWill my right hon. Friend impress upon all Government Departments that they ought to insist that, even at some slight personal inconvenience to the individual, all Government passages should be made in British ships?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThat is a different question, though I should personally be glad to know that those passages were made in British ships.
§ Earl WINTERTONIS it not the fact that, in the Indian Civil Service, there is a strict undertaking on the part of the Indian Government to allow Indian civil servants to travel by the cheapest ships, in view of the fact that their salaries are not big enough to pay the enhanced fares charged by British shipowners?
9. Major the Marquess of TITCH-FIELD(for Mr. WEST RUSSELL) asked the President of the Board of Trade whether British shipping in foreign ports is subject to any discrimination other than that in respect of pilotage; and, if so, of what nature?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI am not aware of any existing discrimination against British ships in the matter of pilotage. The only country which directly discriminates against British shipping is Portugal which gives a rebate of duty on goods shipped in Portuguese vessels.