10. Miss WARDasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in the interests of safety at sea, he will give, consideration to giving statutory effect to voluntary agreements reached between the Federation of Shipowners and the officers' and engineers' societies?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI am always prepared to consider the promotion of legislation or the making of regulations which may be considered necessary to secure safety at sea. Agreements between ship owners and employés naturally take into account many factors other than safety, and though I appreciate fully the value and the desirability of such agreements I can see no sufficient justification for a proposal to give them statutory force.
Miss WARDIs my right hon. Friend aware that a great deal of feeling is aroused because a condition to pay the National Maritime Board scale of wages was not included in the Measure giving the subsidy to tramp steamers, and will he remember that voluntary agreements are not always effective?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANIt is quite true that voluntary agreements are sometimes not effective, but so far there has been no 934 failure to abide by the National Maritime Board rates under the present scheme.