§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement on the code of conference practice announced by the Chamber 393W of Shipping on 9th November, details of which are in his possession.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantLast February a meeting took place in Tokyo of Ministers responsible for shipping in the United Kingdom, 10 other countries of Western Europe, and Japan. The Ministers agreed to invite the shipowners of these countries to draw up a code of conference practice, based on certain recommendations set out in the invitation, and broadly similar in concept to the code advocated in the Report of the Rochdale Committee of Inquiry into Shipping. Our aim was to promote the adoption by international shipping conferences of a published scheme of self-regulation which would incorporate certain essential principles of fair practice, and would call for the fullest consultation between conference lines and their customers on all matters of mutual concern.
The announcement by the Chamber of Shipping marks the completion of this code by the shipowners of the countries concerned on consultation with European organisations of shippers whose seaborne trade they carry. British shipowners and shippers have played a leading part in this work. The Government, in conjunction with the other governments concerned (who now number 12), have accepted this code as fulfilling the Tokyo invitation, and have asked shipowners to work for its adoption and detailed application in the international conferences serving the seaborne trades of the 13 countries.
The Government welcome the formulation of this code in agreement with European shippers as an important, necessary and constructive step forward in the development of improved self-regulation for shipping conferences on internationally acceptable lines, and in the establishment of a closer relationship between conferences and their customers The Government intend to keep a close watch on further progress including the adoption and operation of the code by 394W the conferences. And in the longer term we hope that a code of this kind may gain world-wide acceptance.