§ 83. Captain Sir OWEN PHILLIPSasked whether, in view of the national importance at the present time for British shipowners to acquire as many as possible of the cargo steamers now under construction in neutral countries, and in view of the fact that the prices for such neutral steamers in the open market are now about double that of similar British vessels, what steps, if any, the Government propose to take to make the purchase of at least a proportion of these steamers commercially possible?
§ Mr. PRETYMANI am aware of the importance of the question and am prepared to consider any concrete proposals which may be placed before me.