§ Mr. Petherickasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the number and total tonnage of the ships sold to go abroad during 1938, and to the latest available date in 1939, together with names of the owners at the time of such sale?
§ Mr. StanleyThe number of ships of 100 tons gross and over registered in the United Kingdom reported to the Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen as having had their registers closed on sale to foreign buyers was 149 in 1938 and 65 during the four months January to April, 1939, inclusive. The aggregate gross tonnages of the ships were 395,000 tons and 144,000 tons, respectively. The information requested in the last part of the question could be extracted only at320W the expense of considerable time and labour which I do not feel the results would justify.