§ MR. JENKINS (Chatham)To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state how many members have been appointed on the Advisory Committee of the Board of Trade under The Merchant Shipping Act, 1906; how many of the members are ship owners or persons interested in shipping; how many are shipbuilders, and whether they are also owners or share-owners in shipping property; whether he can state if Captain Trenery, who has been nominated by the Merchant Service Guild, is a shore superintendent of the Johnson Line of steamers; whether Mr. Shera, one of the members of the Committee, was formerly superintendent and engineer for several shipping companies; how many members of the Committee personally represent seamen; and whether he will take into consideration the appointment of additional representatives on the Committee who have no interest in shipping property.
(Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) The Advisory Committee to which my hon. friend refers consists of nineteen members. Of these five were nominated by the Shipowners Parliamentary Committee, and two are shipbuilders or naval architects. Captain Trenery was nominated by the Merchant Service Guild as a representative of masters and officers; Mr. Shearer and another gentleman represent the marine engineers; and two representatives of seamen and one of firemen were nominated by the Seamen and Firemen's Union. The remaining members of the Committee are two underwriters, a second representative of masters and officers, and three nominees 1555 of the Board of Trade, of whom one is lily hon. friend, the Member for Limerick City, and the other two are shipowners. I know nothing with regard to the private interests, past or present, of the individuals nominated by the various bodies to represent them on the Committee, the composition of which was decided at a meeting at the Board of Trade at which representatives of seamen were present. I regard the Committee as fairly representative of the interests concerned; and I am not prepared at present to add to the number of its members.