§ MR. NANNETTI:To ask the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the conviction of a boarding-house keeper residing in Liverpool, named de la Cruz, for illegally supplying seamen to the British steamer "Indra," and also illegally charging these men £1 each for procuring them the berth; whether he is aware that this boarding-house keeper was employed by one of the shipping clerks of the owners of the "Indra" to engage and supply the crew for the vessel, and that instructions were given that the crew were to be foreigners who could not speak or understand English; and whether it is the intention of the Board of Trade to prosecute the agent of the owners of the "Indra" for employing an unlicensed person to engage and supply a crew for the "Indra."
(Answered by Mr. Bonar Law.) Yes, Sir. The attention of the Board of Trade has been called to the case to which the hon. Member refers. Further inquiries are being made with a view to deciding whether any further proceedings should be taken.