§ 9. Mr. Bowlesasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will introduce legislation to control shipping freight charges and prevent such rises as must unduly inflate export prices and so adversely affect our export trade.
§ Mr. WatkinsonNo, Sir, I consider that the best policy is to leave the fixing of shipping freight rates to be settled commercially.
§ Mr. BowlesDoes not the right hon. Gentleman agree that the 10 per cent. increase in charges, starting from 1st April, for shipping from Europe, and in particular from this country to the North American Continent, is likely to price us out of the market? We are told that strikes by the workers are liable to price our products out of the market. Surely the right hon. Gentleman can make representations to the Shipping Conference to see that these advances do not take place without his having more to say about them?
§ Mr. WatkinsonI have looked carefully into this, and I find that even after this increase the shipping companies have increased their charges rather less than most other forms of transport.
§ Sir L. RopnerIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that rates of freight to this country from the American Continent are on the average about 10s. a ton more than the rates on freight to the Continent, entirely due to the delay in British ports compared with Continental ports?