§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, whether he is aware that the Union Castle Steamship Company, the Clan Steamship Company, Messrs Bucknall, Ellerman, Harrison, and other shipowners trading between the United Kingdom ports and South Africa, have entered into a combine by which 10 per cent. of the primage on freight earned by them is held by the in for twelve to eighteen months and only paid to the shipper at the end of that period, provided that during the period the shippers have not shipped goods outside this combine; and, seeing that the Union Castle Company carry his Majesty's mails, and the other members of the combine are employed to carry Government stores, whether action will be taken to put an end to this combine by not employing the steamers of any company or persons who are connected with it, either for service of his Majesty's mails, or for carriage of Government stores.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI understand that an arrangement substantially, though not exactly, such as the hon. Member describes, has existed for some years between leading merchants and shipping companies not only in the South African Trade, but in that with other distant parts of the world. The latter part of the Question should be addressed to the Ministers in charge of the Departments concerned in the contracts.