§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the steamship "Gaspesia" is under detention at St. John's, Newfoundland, for salvage claim; that the captain and crew, upwards of seventy, were ejected from the vessel by the police, and that these men, being unable to obtain their wages, are in a destitute condition at St. John's; and will he state what steps he proposes to take in the matter.
§ MR. RITCHIEThe circumstances in which this vessel has been seized at St. John's, Newfoundland, on account of salvage claims, and the master and crew ejected from it, are known to me, and are substantially as stated by the hon. Member. Instructions by cable were given to the Superintendent of the Mercantile Marine Office at the port, on the 1st ultimo, to relieve the crew if destitute, and in accordance therewith twelve members of the crew have already been sent to this country, and the remainder are believed to be on their way hither. The claims of the seamen to wages is not a matter with which the Board of Trade can interfere.