Jan, 19, The debate in the House of Commons, on December 14, in connection with the second reading of the British Shipping (Assistance) Bill, lengthy though it was has provided a most readable document, and a most important one at that. It is apparent that the government itself 1s not altogether satisfied with the serene to assist tramp shipping by means of subsidies, though it would seem that there is an underlying sentiment that something has to be done to help that one section of the British mercantile marine which has suffered so greatly from the competition of the state-added shipping of other nations. The general impression to be gained from the speeches for the Government is that though an original promise was made to help British shipping when once it had decided how best it could be helped, the Bill represents a grudging concession to engage upon an experiment the success of which already doubtful. As a temporary measure, and for one year urily, the Bill is to provide a sun. of £2,000,000 for the assistance of tramp shipping, and to make advances to the extent of £10,- 000,000 for the purpose of carrying out a programme of scrapping and modernization. The contention is put forward that British tramp shipping is second to one in the matter of efficiency, and the modernization is designed to make even better prepared to meet the increased competition which must] develop along with the much desired improvement in world trade. How far £10,000,000 will go towards achieving thal result may very well be a matter of speculation, though undoubtedly the scrapping of ancient craft, and the substitution therefor of a smaller number of more: "'ident should prove of very considerable value to the trade as a whole.
With the enormous losses which the shipping industry has had to suffer through the laying up of a large number of vessels,.anticipatory development must' be ren-
[general trade resumption has filled coffers from which new building can be financed. To that extent the provision of the sum mention fed for the purpose of assisting the financing of new building has much to commend It.
As was expected speakers for the opposition rode every possible hobby horse in connection with the subject. With some of the contentions as to how the subsidy should be used it is possible to have the greatest possible sympathy. But £2,000,000 is not Iikely to go a very long way In assisting the trade to meet the heavily subsidized competition it is already {facing and may expect to continue face. Claims that the money should be used for the purpose of improving' the men's wages, or the [conditions under which they work, must always. receive sympatuietie regard, especially when they eom~ are unfavourably with those prevailing in shipping of other nations, "The provision of £2,000,- 000 is to assist tramp shipping better to compete in the world market: than it has been able to up tothe present. It is obviously not intended that the money shiowld be spent in effecting such improvements as are sired, but to ensure that even [with conditions such as they are a better opportunity of making a success of the industry shall be fayallable. Obviously, before the Government will consent to a con~ tinuation of the experiment, tt will be necessary for the shipping interests which evolved the plan to show that an appreciably better proportion of the world's trade has been captured for British bottoms. That there is ample room for the improvement of the conditions lurider which Britfsh seamen serve undeniable, but it is better that they should be kept in work, even under such undesirable conditions, than that more of them, should be thrown out of employment by reason of the favoured position of their subsidized competitors, Perhaps the best result possible to be expected from the Bill is the possibility that, once countries who are heavily subsidizing shipping realize that their British competitor is likely to do the same thing, there will be a better chance lof the general adoption of the international shipping policy proposed by Great Britain than hitherto been the case. That polley was endorsed by such countries as Holland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, while the United States, France and Ttaly would have none of it, To quote Mr. Runelma The fact was that there was no force or weight behind the. low farlft countries which would tnfluence the others to change. belt views, and that is why we found necessary to take powers. Wo must have some means of dealing with the situation and of putting cur people on the same footing our "competitors, otherwise Would snap their Angers at us next year Just as they dia last year. I not want to use the large stick, but we have to make it clear that foreign countries are going 1 treat our shipping "unfairly, we shall inow how to put them on an. equal footing. In" the second place, if we are to bring "about Emelioration in' the international shipping trade of the world must be done on an international basis. That Is the reason why we thave invited them to consider the proposals which we made In the Middle of the summer. That why the shipowners are going to assemble herein a voluntary association, "not driven Yo it by Government pressure, but on our suggestion that they should nieet here, in an international. shipping conference, as they have. done many times in years past. 1 hope that in the early months of next year we tholi find that not nly our own shipowners, but the shipowners of America and of Burope, will be in close. consultation and will find some means out of Our common problems, It indeed @ future conference of international shipping interests can agree upon a poliey*calculated to remove some of the disadvantages of the practice of subsidies, and if that change of heart 1s. Drought about by the indication that Great Britain will In the absence of such an agreement fenter into the subsidy war, then, though probably, for practical purposes £2,000,000 is a very small sum, will not be too high a price to have paid for the benefits thus obtained
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.