§ 16. Sir W. HOWELL DAVIESasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, without sacrificing national interests, more accurate information can be given to brokers who are entrusted with Government business than was given in the case of Messrs. Webb and Kenward, brokers, Baltic, London, who offered and sold in the early part of May, to a firm of Bristol corn merchants, 5,000 tons of Australian wheat on the steamship "Ceramic," on the statement that this steamer would berth at Avonimouth about 24th May; whether he is aware that the merchants paid £48,391 9s. 3d. for this wheat in exchange for the documents on 20th May; that the steamer, subsequently to the sale of the wheat, was sent to Liverpool and arrived about 24th May; and that the Bristol merchants can get no information about when they may receive their wheat as the managers of the White Star Line state that, as the steamship "Ceramic" is under requisition to the Australian Government, they are not permitted to give any information regarding her movements; and whether, seeing that a transaction of this kind arising on inaccurate information, and which has already involved a loss of over £10,000, does not encourage British corn merchants to buy Government wheat, be proposes to take any action in the matter?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Steel-Maitland)I have no information as to the details of the transaction in question, which was arranged by the Commonwealth Govern- 327 ment and its representatives in this country, but I understand that every effort has already been made to expedite the arrival of the steamship "Ceramic" at Avon-mouth.