HC Deb 07 August 1899 vol 76 cc30-1
MR. HAVELOCK WILSON (Middlesbrough)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the names of the vessels, if any, owned by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Shipping Company on which the Board of Trade have declined to allow deductions from tonnage in consequence of that company not complying with the 210th section of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894.

MR. RITCHIE

I wish the hon. Gentleman could have seen his way to giving longer notice of this question and the questions next on the Paper. They only appeared on the Paper on Saturday morning; they necessitated a considerable amount of search, and as a conse quence several members of my staff have been deprived of their holiday. The names of the vessels owned by the Peninsular and Oriental Company in which deductions from tonnage have been disallowed, because the space required by Section 210 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, was not provided, are as follows:—"Arcadia," "Bengal," "Ballarat," "Coromandel," "Carthage," "Chusan" "Canton," "Manila," "Massilia," "Nubia," "Oriental," "Oceana," "Paramatta," "Peninsula," "Pekin," "Peshawur," "Shanghai," "Shannon," "Thames," "Valetta," and "Simla."

MR. HAVELOCK WILSON

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has been advised by the Law Officers of the Crown that Section 210 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, bearing upon the accommodation for seamen, applies to Lascars and other Native seamen in the same manner as it applies to other seamen serving on board British vessels registered in the United Kingdom.

MR. RITCHIE

I can only refer the hon. Member to the terms of the answer given to a similar question put by him on the 3rd instant, which obviously showed that in the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown the provisions of Section 210 of the Merchant Shipping Act are infringed when the space required by that section is not provided for Lascars or other Native seamen.

MR. HAVELOCK WILSON

Seeing the right hon. Gentleman admits there has been an infringement of the Act, may I ask him whether, and when, the Board of Trade intend to enforce the law by summoning the owners under the section which provides for a penalty of £25 for each offence?

MR. RITCHIE

The hon. Gentleman had better give notice of that question.