A.—5.
456
foreign ships. Before you give us preference, you had better start by giving us equality. Mr. DEAKIN : Rut do you understand that the Report of the Commission was to that effect ? My recollection is that a distinction was to be drawn between British and foreign ships. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : I am very doubtful how you can impose this restriction upon foreign ships. International obligations may prevent you imposing it on foreign ships; and at any rate, you should give us the advantage of international amenities for our own ships. We ask you to treat us as a foreign nation, at any rate. Mr. DEAKIN : I think you will find your -drips much better treated than foreign ships. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : Do not drive us out because we are British. That is all we ask. Mr. DEAKIN : You are entitled to ask anything you like, whether relevant to the actual facts or not. So far as I am aware, the Reports of the Commission have recommended a distinction between British and foreign ships. So your suggestions do not fit in with the facts. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : We were at the Navigation Conference. We had all the big steamship lines represented. They were exceedingly alarmed by this interpretation which was placed upon the proposals, and I do not think it was challenged. We had the labour people there who are dominant in the situation, and they said, " If we cannot impose these regulations on foreign ships, we can do it on British ships at any rate." Mr. DEAKIN : We had a Commission which sat and reported—not the Government but only a Commission —and its proposal was, I think, to give British ships an advantage. It will be ours. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : I am very glad to hear this, and I am glad of this discussion if it has only elicited that, which we failed to elicit at the Shipping Conference. Mr. DEAKIN : When you are referring to Australia and ships being excluded, you mean in every instance from the coastwise trade and that alone ? Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : No, the instance I gave was that of a big liner proceeding with a cargo. Mr. DEAKIN : That is Australian coastwise trade. You pick it up at one port and drop it at another. The liner also carries goods from outside Australia and your words might be read to cover that trade as well. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : No, I still press that, because it is very important. Our shipowners asked you, if you wanted to insist upon these coastwise obligations being imposed on British ships, that you should confine them at any rate to the cargo that was picked up. Take, for instance, a couple
Thirteenth Day. 8 May 1907.
Coastwise Trade. (Mr. Lloyd George.)
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