HC Deb 07 May 1918 vol 105 cc1978-9
20. Captain BARNETT

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller what steps are being taken to provide ship space for goods duly licensed and rationed by the Department of Import Restrictions as being necessary for war purposes in cases where such goods have not been specifically ordered by any Government Department, but are of a class urgently required from time to time by various Departments ex merchant stocks?

The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of SHIPPING (Sir Leo Chiozza Money)

The provision of ship-space for various classes of commodities is determined in accordance with the programme of importation approved from time to time by the War Cabinet, and in practice it is found that the goods licensed for import are invariably in excess of the available tonnage under the control of the Ministry of Shipping. This is necessarily the case, since there is always a certain amount of tonnage, Allied and neutral, the detailed employment of which is outside the direct control of the Ministry.

Captain BARNETT

Does my hon. Friend realise that, through want of these transport facilities, goods to the value of some hundreds of thousand pounds, urgently required for war purposes, are congested in the harbours of the United States?

Sir L. CHIOZZA MONEY

I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that the Ministry of Shipping does its best to bring to this country all the commodities for which the shipping available allows.