§ MR. BEAUCHAMP (Suffolk, Lowestoft)I beg to ask the Postmaster- 1492 General whether his attention has been called to the fact that a notice has been issued by the Commercial Cable Company to the owners of certain trawlers warning them to avoid trawling within the area of 51° 15' and 52° 20' North latitude and 10° 20' and 14° West longitude; and whether the Cable Company has any authority to issue such warning and to attempt to close a fishing ground of about 15,000 square miles.
§ THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. SYDNEY BUXTON,) Tower Hamlets, PoplarMy attention has been called to the notice in question and to the reply of the trawler owners concerned. As my hon. friend may be aware, in conjunction with the President of the Board of Trade I have appointed a Committees to inquire into the whole question of injuries to cables believed by the cable companies to be due to trawlers, and the correspondence has been laid before the Committee, which is now taking evidence. The Committee consists of:—Sir J. C. Lamb, C.B., C.M.G., formerly Second Secretary to the Post Office, Chairman; Mr. W. R. Culley, I.S.O., Submarine Superintendent in the Engineering Department of the Post Office; Commander G. C. Frederick, R.N., Professional member of the Harbour Department of the Board of Trade; Mr. C. E. Fryer, I.S.O., Superintending Inspector of English Fisheries; Mr. W. S. Green, C.B., Chief Inspector of Irish Fisheries; Commander G. M. Marston, R.N., of the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty.