By 231 votes to 60, the House of Commons to-day passed the Bill empowering the Board of Trade to pay £2,000,000 in subsidies to tramp shipping during 1935.
Prior to the passage of the mea-gute, Mr. Walter Munclman, Preal-! Gent of the Board of Trade, declared that he saw no reason for the Gov ernment to afford artificial assistance other classes of shipplt "the Bill authorizes the Board of trade to pay subsidies in respect of tramp voyages in 1085 up to £2,000. 000, and io make advances for two years of not exceeding £10,000.000, for scrapping building or modernizing British cargo vessels, Mr, Runciman said that one of the government's objects was to enable Britigh ship-owners to compete approximately equal terms with foreign tramp shipping, which was receiving subsidy assistance from its governments.
The government's support was restricted to tramp vessels because of the peculiar position In which they had developed benefits which they Drought to the trade of Britain as a whole, ind the essential part. they in Britain's system of national
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.