§ MR. HAVELOCK WILSON (Middlesbrough)To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that police officers were employed at Cardiff, on Thursday, April 19th, assisting to send away by train a number of seamen of various nationali- 538 ties engaged by foreign shipping agents to take the place of seamen now on strike at Hamburg, in Germany; whether he is aware that one of the officers threatened a coloured seaman who objected to go; whether he is aware that police officers have been employed at Dover on similar work, and also members of the Metropolitan Police Force; if he can state under whose instructions these officers were rendering foreign shipping agents assistance; and whether he will give instructions in future that English police officers are not to be employed to assist foreign shipping agents.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) I have not heard of the employment of the police on the occasions referred to by the hon. Member; but I presume that they were present for the purpose of performing their duty in the maintenance of public order. I will, however, make inquiry of the Cardiff police authorities, and also of the other police authorities, if the hon. Member will indicate precisely the occasions to which he refers.