HC Deb 20 December 1906 vol 167 cc1716-7
MR. T. L. CORBETT

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether any agreement is in existence authorising steamers belonging to English companies, which have been purchased by the International Mercantile Marine Company, and which are therefore foreign-owned, to fly the British flag; and whether, in view of the provision in the law that the burden of proving a title to the use of the British registry shall lie upon the users, he proposes to take any steps in the matter.

MR. LLOYD-GEORGE

Article 2 of the trilateral agreement signed on the 1st August, 1903, between the Government and the International Mercantile Marine Company and certain British shipping companies stipulates that the British companies included in the Association shall continue to be British companies qualified to own British ships, and that a majority at least of their directors shall be British subjects. No agreement, however, would enable any ships to fly the British flag if it did not comply with the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894. I do not propose to take any steps in the matter.

MR. T. L. CORBETT

Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire whether they are really British owned?

MR. LLOYD-GEORGE

As long as they comply with the conditions of the Merchant Shipping Act I see no reason to do that.

Sir GEORGE DOUGHTY (Grimsby)

Does this apply to foreign owned trawlers?

[No Answer was returned.]