§ 44. Sir J. Vaughan-Morganasked the Minister of Transport when were the last official formal investigations into the workings of the North Atlantic Shipping Conference; and by whom they were made.
§ Mr. MarplesThere has been no formal inquiry specifically into the workings of the North Atlantic Conferences. A Royal Commission on Shipping Rings investigated conferences in general between 1906 and 1909. The Imperial Shipping Committee covered much the same ground in an investigation of the deferred rebate system in 1923. It investigated also the carriage of particular commodities across the North Atlantic in 1924 and 1926.
§ Sir J. Vaughan-MorganWill my right hon. Friend agree that time has marched on since those last investigations? Further, is it not a fact that at that time there was no question of United Kingdom Government subsidies? Would it not be a good idea if the Monopolies Commission, which did not then exist, had a look at the matter?
§ Mr. MarplesWe have had very few complaints. We had seven during the last year about increases in freight rates in relation to particular commodities. Furthermore, shipping today faces intense competition from the air which it did not face at the time when these inquiries took place.