§ SIR GEORGE S. BADEN-POWELL (Liverpool, Kirkdale)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, in regard to the Merchant Shipping (Mercantile 198 Marine Fund) Bill, whether, before consideration of the Bill, as amended, he will further consider whether he can see his way to introduce an amendment embodying the recommendation of the Departmental Committee for a Joint Board of Control for the lighting service to contain representatives of the shipping interests; and whether he will also consider if it is by any means possible to relieve British, and especially Canadian, shipping of the heavy countervailing dues levied in United States ports exclusively on vessels from countries which levy Light Dues?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. C. T. RITCHIE,) CroydonI do not see my way to introduce into the present Bill any amendment of the kind suggested by my hon. Friend, which is, I may say, not what was rocommended by the Departmental Committee. I see no way of relieving British shipping from the dues levied in the ports of the United States except by abolishing the Light Dues levied in the ports of the United Kingdom, and for that step, as my hon. Friend is aware, the Government are not prepared.