VISCOUNT TEMPLETOWNMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government, in view of the fact that the interests of the Commonwealth of Australia are being detrimentally affected for want of additional passenger and cargo tonnage, what steps the Government are taking to secure the use of some of the enemy steamers that were especially built for the Australian services, particularly as these ships can be put into commission forthwith, and British shipping companies are prepared to either charter or purchase them.
THE CIVIL LORD OE THE ADMIRALTY (THE EARL OF LYTTON)My Lords, I am afraid that the Question of the noble Viscount is rather premature at the present time. I must remind him that the German merchant ships to which he refers are not yet under the control of the Allies. We have made a demand for those ships to be handed over, and negotiations are now going on in order to secure that they shall be placed in our hands, but until that has 367 been done it is obviously impossible to say what steps will be taken to utilise them. Those ships, when they do come into our hands, will be disposed of by the Inter-Allied Maritime Council, acting in consultation with the Commission which has been set up for considering the supply of food to enemy countries. Those will be the bodies who will be responsible for the use made of the ships when they are obtained. But until the ships are in our possession I am afraid that I cannot tell the noble Viscount what steps can be taken to utilise them.