§ MR. BROADHURST (Nottingham)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, whether his attention has been called to the fact that two men named Hoey and Brogan were fined £5 each by the Liverpool Stipendiary Magistrate on 2nd July for illegally shipping paupers to act as seamen on board the Adriatic; and, whether the owners of the Adriatic are liable to a penalty of £20 for each man so shipped; and, if so, whether it is the intention of the Board of Trade to take any steps to enforce this penalty?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Sir M. HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.The two men Hoey and Brogan were convicted, not because they supplied paupers, but because they illegally supplied men without first obtaining a license to supply them from the Board of Trade. Owners are liable to a penalty for employing unauthorized persons to supply seamen. Owing to the absence of the ship and the absconding of Hoey and Brogan, no proceedings can at the moment be taken against the owners for employing them, and a prosecution will depend on the nature of the evidence that can be produced hereafter.