§ 31. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has information of the system of registering Arab seamen and firemen signing on in British ships at Antwerp and other North European ports as effected by the National Union of Seamen in conjunction with the local authorities and the British consuls; and whether he will call for a report of the working of this system, with a view to the prevention of possible abuses when signing on Asiatic and Arab seamen and firemen at British ports and their admission to this country?
36. Mr. WEST RUSSELLasked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the preference to coloured seamen which is being given by various shipping companies; 746 and whether he has made, or will make, any representations to such shipowners against the adoption of any such policy?
§ Mr. W. GRAHAMI have obtained from the British Consul-General at Antwerp a report on the system of registering Arabs and other Asiatics who are applicants for employment on British ships at that port. If any proposals should be made to me for the adoption of a similar system at ports in this country I should be quite ready to consider them in connection with other suggestions that have been made for the prevention of possible abuses in connection with the employment of coloured seamen. As has been said before, however, the general question of the employment of coloured seamen, most of whom are British subjects, is not a matter in which the Board of Trade can usefully intervene directly.