§ 8. Mr. YEOasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the Royal Mail steamer "The Danube" engaged a crew of Chinamen in the Port of London during the present week; whether he is aware of the number of British sailors and firemen unemployed; whether it is his intention to take steps to prevent the employment of Chinamen, so as to provide employment for the British sailors and firemen who are out of work; whether he is aware that the steamers "Queen Eugenie" and the "Crown of Seville" have signed on this week at the Mercantile Marine offices, East India Dock Road, full crews of Chinese sailors and firemen, when over 2372 200 British seamen were standing outside waiting employment, many of these men having been torpedoed on two or three occasions; and whether he is aware of the discontent amongst, these British seamen?
Mr. RUNCIMANA number of Chinese seamen were engaged to serve on the three vessels mentioned last week in London, and the number of Chinese employed on British ships has increased during the War owing to the difficulty of getting other crews and the necessity of keeping our ships going. There is no power to prevent the engagement of a Chinese seaman on a British ship if he passes the language test. The reports I have received do not support the statement that any considerable number of British seamen are unemployed at the present time, but I shall be glad to receive any definite information which my hon. Friend may possess.