§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that, although Swansea has always been the Bristol Channel port of shipment to France, traffic for which the French Munitions Commission is responsible is now being diverted to Newport, which is about fifty miles distant from the district of manufacture; that from Swansea and district is supplied over 85 per cent. of the material to the French Government, which is borne out by the fact that of the recent allocation of 7,000 tons of steel sheets only 400 tons are being made at works more conveniently situated to Newport for purposes of shipment; that Swansea possesses all facilities for shipment, and that 46 per cent. of the steel sheets are conveyed to the port by motor lorries; and whether, in order to economise time, labour, and money, and avoid congestion on the railways, he will make representations to the British delegates on the Commission Internationale de Ravitaillement with a view to securing that the ordinary shipping traffic for Swansea shall not be diverted to Newport?
§ Lord R. CECILAs regards those contracts placed in the Bristol Channel districts for which the French Government undertake shipment, I am informed that the present position is that approximately 4,000 tons per month are expected for delivery over the next six months from works in the neighbourhood of Newport, whereas the total quantity to be delivered in the Swansea district over the same period is about 1,000 tons per month.
In these circumstances it is necessary, in order to ensure the early arrival of the goods in France, that shipment should be made from the port where the bulk of the tonnage is required.
I am further informed that the railway is used in every case for the transport of these goods to Newport, at which place 1415W the trucks when empty are utilised for the conveyance of incoming traffic. There is no desire to favour Newport at the expense of Swansea in this respect, and, in the event of further French Government contracts being placed in the Swansea district, shipment would be made from that port in the absence of any strong reasons to the contrary.
The recent allocation of 7,000 tons to which the hon. Member refers is understood to be composed of tinplates and not of steel sheets. Shipment of these goods is not made by the French Government, the allocation being to the Comité des Forges, which is a semi-official body composed of private firms in France. So far as I am aware, there is no reason to suppose that full advantage will not be taken of the facilities offered by the Port of Swansea for the shipment of these tin-plates.