§ MR. FORWOOD (Lancashire, Ormskirk)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India (1) whether his attention has been called to the recently promulgated Order of the Indian Government fixing the load draft of vessels leaving India, with regard to which the preliminary and final notices were only published in the Bombay Government Gazette, a paper having no mercantile circulation; (2) is he aware that the regulations differ from those issued by the English Board of Trade, which do not regard voyages between Gibraltar and Singapore as subject to the winter load-line, whilst the new Indian rules place the vessels on the same latitudes and seas under the loading limits for winter passages; (3) whether he is aware that the practical effect of the new regulations will be to restrict all vessels trading between Great Britain and India throughout the year to the winter load-line; (4) do the rules, which make a difference of one-twentieth in a vessel's carrying capacity, apply to foreign vessels trading with India; (5) does Section 43 of the Indian Load Line 520 Act of 1891, under which vessels arriving from England are exempted from its operation, apply to those vessels when departing from India; (6) and will he ask the Government of India to suspend the operation of the new Orders until the shipowners in England have had an opportunity of submittiug their objections?
* MR. GEORGE RUSSELL(1.) Yes, Sir; the Secretary of State has seen the regulations cited. Draft of the proposed regulations was made public at Bombay several months before they took effect. The regulations, as finally settled, were published in the usual way at that port. (2.) The Secretary of State is advised by the Board of Trade that the Indian regulations do not differ from the Home regulations, except so far as they declare what are in those waters "the recognized summer months" within the meaning of the regulations issued by the Board of Trade. (3.) The Secretary of State is advised by the Board of Trade that the practical effect of the Indian Regulations is not as suggested at Clause 3 of the hon. Member's question; though, from the nature of the case, the winter season at home and the foul season in India overlap one another. (4.) The regulations do not apply to foreign vessels. (5.) The Secretary of State is unable to state authoritatively what is the legal interpretation of the Act of the Indian Legislature. (6.) The Secretary of State does not propose to suspend the operation of the regulations; but any representation from British shipowners engaged in the Indian trade will receive careful consideration.