§ MR. W. JOHNSTONOn behalf of the honourable Member for North Antrim, I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the petition of the lighthouse keepers presented to Parliament on 20th June, 1898; and whether it is proposed to take any action in regard to it?
§ MR. AKERS DOUGLASI can only repeat, on behalf of my right honourable Friend, the reply which he gave on the 27th June last to a similar Question by the right honourable Member for Montrose, namely, that if the light keepers would forward their complaints through the lighthouse authorities in whose employment they are, he would see that they received careful consideration. The Board of Trade have no power to take the initiative in the matter.