§ Mr. M'GHEEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the Census Return of Seamen for 1911 issued by the Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen, from which it appears that over 14 per cent. of the seamen are always unemployed; and whether, in view of the number of seamen thus shown to be always available to man British ships, it is still proposed to subsidise British shipowners for the purpose of training boys as seamen, which can only have the effect of increasing the number of unemployed seamen.
Mr. BUXTONThe percentage stated by my hon. Friend represents the difference between the number of seamen following the sea as a means of livelihood, estimated on certain assumptions which are explained on page x of the Registrar-General's Report, and the number who were actually engaged on voyages under Articles on 3rd April, the date on which the Census was taken. The seamen represented by this percentage were, if the assumptions are correct, "unemployed" only in the sense that they were not engaged on a voyage, but no doubt a proportion of them were either in shore employment, standing by their ships, or waiting to sign articles for their next voyage. The question of the training of boys to become seamen is now under consideration, but as at present advised His Majesty's Government have no intention of granting subsidies to shipowners for the purpose