§ Mr. HAVELOCK WILSONasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received a copy of the depositions taken by the New York coroner with regard to the deaths of two members of the crew of the "Strathyre," in consequence of having jumped overboard from that vessel; whether he is aware that the New York coroner described the conduct of the master of the "Strathyre" as most inhuman; whether he is aware that the counsel representing the master at South Shields Police Court, on 2nd April, 1909, objected to any of the evidence given at the coroner's court at New York being used in the proceedings at South Shields; and whether he can state on what grounds the master reported the Chinese fireman who disappeared at Suez on 14th October, 1907, as having deserted, seeing that no one saw him leaving the ship, which was lying about one mile from the shore?
Mr. TENNANTMy attention has been called to the evidence given before the New York coroner's court with regard to the case of the "Strathyre," and I am aware that the coroner made a statement of the nature referred to by my hon. Friend at the end of the first day's proceedings, and before he had heard evidence on behalf of the master. I understand that counsel for the master in the South Shields Police Court objected to the admission of the evidence given at the coroner's court, on the ground that he had not had an opportunity of testing its truthfulness. I have no information respecting the disappearance of a Chinese fireman at Suez beyond that stated in the answer given to my hon. Friend on 21st April.