§ MR. CHARLES PALMERasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether he is prepared to recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into and report upon the constitution and administration of the Marine Department of the Board of Trade, and the manner in which inquiries into wrecks and casualties are conducted; also into the causes of the yearly increase of Foreign seamen in our Mercantile Marine; and also into the allegations of over insurance and unseaworthiness, and into the application of the Employers' Liability Act and the Limited Liability Act to shipping.
§ MR. CHAMBERLAINI must refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by me in the debate on the second reading of the Merchant Shipping Bill, when I said that, in my opinion, it was desirable that a Royal Commission should inquire into the various subjects which are still matter of controversy in respect to merchant shipping. Any such inquiry should certainly include investigations into the present merchant shipping law, the practice of the trade with regard to insurance and other matters, and the administration of the Marine Department of the Board of Trade, as well as the manner in which wreck inquiries are now conducted.