Captain TERRELLasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller whether the transport "Meteor," originally built for the Hamburg-America line for work in the Norwegian fjords, is now being run in the Mediterranean as a first-class passenger vessel under conditions for which it is not fitted; and whether there are general complaints as to the accommodation and catering, which in neither case is up to first-class standard, although the prices charged are on the first-class scale?
Colonel WILSONThis vessel, which has been mainly used as a military transport, was recently employed for a voyage between Marseilles and Egypt with the object of assisting the return to Egypt of large numbers of first-class passengers who could not obtain accommodation in the ordinary liners. Some of the accommodation in the "Meteor" is not up to the standard of first-class passenger liners, and for this accommodation a specially reduced rate was charged. Some complaints regarding accommoda- 1721W tion and catering have been received, but I would point out that this vessel was specially put on to deal with an emergency and to meet the convenience of the public.