Letter (copy) : Spanish seamen

              PERSONAL.
Secretary's.
HVT/FC/580.
Mr. W.A. Robinson, M.P.,	13th June, 1940.
The House of Commons, S.W.1.
Dear Mr. Robinson,
SPANISH SEAMEN.
I am in receipt of your letter of the 12th instant in regare to the above matter.
Alderman Midgeley has been a tower of strength to the seamen in Belfast and, unfortunately for him, there seems to have been little opportunity of finding them employment. We have reached the point in our continued assistance to the men still left when it looks as though we cannot continue their support much longer.
I have, however, had conversations with Mr. Marchbank, as President of the International Transportworkers' Federation, Mr. Oldenbroek, who is acting as Secretary of that Body, and also with Mr. Spence of the National Union of Seamen.
The position at the moment is that if financial assistance is to be continued we shall have to issue an appeal to Unions in the International Transportworkers' Federation, but before doing so we have communicated with the Ministr of Labour to see if there is some quick way in which the services of these men can be utilised, either on sea or on land.
Up to now I have not been able to send Alderman Midgeley any definite information as to how we can help him, but I am hoping that a favourable position will develop in the near future.
Alderman Mideley has also written to Mr. Jagger who communicated with me a few weeks ago. Probably you could show Mr. Jagger this letter, but for the time
P.T.O.