§ SIR GEORGE BADEN-POWELL (Liverpool, Kirkdale)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that the number of desertions from their ships while abroad of seamen of the Mercantile Marine approaches 14,000 in the year, and that the balance of forfeited wages (under Sections 221 and 232 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894) amounts to a considerable sum, and should be paid into the Exchequer; what have been the payments into the Exchequer under this heading in each of the last two financial years; and whether the administration of the property and wages of deserters in the Mercantile Marine could be carried out on some plan similar to that adopted in the case of a deceased seaman, and thus advantage the National Exchequer?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. C. T. RITCHIE, Croydon)I am aware of the large number of desertions from British ships abroad, but have no means of ascertaining the amount of deserters' wages which remain unpaid at the date of desertion, as masters and owners are not required to make any return of such wages. Such wages can only be forfeited by a court of law on the prosecution of seamen for desertion, and such prosecutions are now exceedingly rare. Any forfeitures under Sections 221 and 232 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894, would be received by the Treasury on account of the Exchequer, and not by the Board of Trade; but I am informed that the Treasury are not aware that there have been any payments into the Exchequer under this heading during the last two financial years. Power to administer the property and wages of deserters on a plan similar to that adopted in the case of deceased seamen could only be acquired by legislation, and as seamen do not often desert when they have any large amount of wages due to them, and as some provision (as in the present law) would have to be made to compensate owners for losses and expenses consequent on their desertion, it is not probable that much advantage would be derived for the Exchequer from such legislation.