§ MR. BROADHURST (Nottingham, W.)asked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether his attention has been called to a statement in The Sunderland Echo of May 28, wherein it is alleged that in the case of a wage dispute between the captain of the Ben Cruachen and the seamen belonging to the port of Sunderland, the Board of Trade officer at Hull brought a crew, most of whom were foreigners, and all more or less intoxicated, and shipped them on board the vessel; and, if so, will he state whether it is part of the duty of a Board of Trade officer to act as a labour agent to shipowners?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)My attention has been called to the statement in the newspaper referred to, and a Report on the subject has been obtained from the Superintendents of the Mercantile Marine Offices at Sunderland and Hull. The Reports show that there is no dispute at Sunderland about wages; but that the master of the vessel, finding that he could not obtain in Sunderland sufficient foreign-going seamen to make up a crew for his ship, went himself to Hull, and, being there, engaged a Hull crew. Having engaged them in the Mercantile Marine office at Hull, they were sent to Sunderland in charge of a messenger attached to the Hull office. In this case the Superintendents of the Mercantile Marine offices, and the other officers of the 1685 two Local Marine Boards, were performing duties thrown on them by Statute. There is nothing in the law to prevent any master of a British ship from engaging foreigners to serve on board his ship; and I am distinctly informed that the men were not in a disgraceful condition through drink. They all went to sea in the ship except two, of whom one was a British seaman and one a foreigner.