§ Mr. HAVELOCK WILSONasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the circumstances under which the steamer "Ben-cliff" engaged a crew at Sunderland on 14th May; if he is aware that a tugboat conveyed the crew from South Shields to Sunderland; whether he can state if the Board of Trade official who was present at the signing on of the crew was an outdoor officer of the Board of Trade or a deputy-superintendent; whether the AA form was granted to the master of the ship before the agreement had been duly executed; whether he can state how many of the A. B.' s produced a certificate proving three years' sea service; if the firemen produced continuous discharge books; and whether they were qualified for the work for which they were engaged?
Mr. TENNANTI am informed that the crew of the "Bencliff" were brought from South Shields to Sunderland in a tugboat, and that they signed the agreement in the presence of two deputy superintendents. The clearance certificate AA was issued in accordance with the customary practice in cases of urgency before the whole of the crew had signed the articles on the master giving a written undertaking to complete the engagement of the crew. The seamen who were rated as A. B.' s proved the three years' service entitling them to that rating, four of the five firemen produced continuous discharge books, and I have no reason to believe that they were not qualified for their work.