§ Mr. PETOasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that captains of merchant ships sunk abroad by the enemy have received demands from the Board of Trade for the payment of the cost of their passages home and subsistence; if so, whether, having regard to the nature of the work these captains are doing in the interests of the country, he will take whatever steps may be requisite in order that these charges shall be paid by either the Government or the owners of the ships; and that, as in the case of merchant vessels chartered by the Admiralty which are similarly lost, these captains shall continue to be paid until their arrival home?
Mr. HARCOURTThere are no provisions in the Merchant Shipping Acts empowering the Board of Trade to afford relief at the expense of the State to masters whose vessels have been shipwrecked or sunk, nor is there any statutory liability on the part of owners to pay for such relief or to continue the pay of masters until their arrival home in this country, though I should hope that in most cases they would be willing to do so. I will, however, see whether any steps can be taken in the matter.