Mr. SHIRLEY BENNasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state how many of the 198,474 sailors of British nationality employed in British ships are engaged in the coastwise trade, and how many in the fishing trade?
§ Mr. TENNANTThe detailed figures for the year 1909 are to be found in the Annual Statement of Navigation and 433W Shipping for that year (Cd. 5292). Analysis of these figures gives the following result:—
In addition, there were 6,832 employed partly in the home and partly in the foreign trade. The home trade includes vessels employed in the coastwise trade, but the latter are not separately distinguished in the Returns.
British seamen employed: (a) In the Home Trade 38,593 (b) In Fishing Trade 31,826 Total 70,419
Mr. SHIRLEY BENNasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state how many ships sailing under the British register, flying the British flag, and entitled to British protection, are commanded by foreigners?
§ Mr. TENNANTI am unable to state how many British vessels are commanded at the present time by foreigners. The latest available figures are those of the Census of Seamen of 1906 (Cd. 3841), which show that on 4th April there were employed on vessels belonging to the British Islands:—Twenty-one foreign masters on coasting vessels, eleven foreign masters on home trade vessels, eighty-eight foreign masters on foreign-going vessels, and fifty-seven foreign masters on fishing vessels; total, 177 out of 13,099 masters enumerated. The Census will be taken again this year, but the figures will not be available for some time.