§ 30. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Home Secretary whether he has now examined further into the successful system of registration of seamen at Antwerp and other ports; whether he has considered applying some similar scheme for the registration of coloured and alien seamen in this country; and whether he proposes to take any steps to deal with the bad social conditions that exist in certain seaports in this country and the undesirable results, as a consequence, of the establishment of colonies of coloured seamen in those ports?
§ Mr. SHORTYes, Sir, and my right hon. Friend is greatly obliged to my hon. and gallant Friend for the report which he has furnished. The question is largely one of the registration of seamen (British and other) in connection with their signing on as part of crews, and falls within the sphere of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, who, I understand, has the whole matter under consideration. So far as concerns alien seamen, I would refer to the replies to several recent questions and particularly to that of the 21st March last in answer to the hon. Member for Central Southwark (Mr. Day).
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYWhile thanking my hon. Friend for his reply, may I ask him if he is aware of the fact that on the 5th June last a committee representing the shipowners and the National Union of Firemen came to an agreement on this subject, and will he see that this matter is hastened?
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIt requires to be dealt with by others as well as the Board of Trade.