§ MR. GOURLEYasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether the conduct of an officer of the Board of Trade was in accordance with the twelfth section of "The Merchant Shipping Act, 1873," when he demanded of and took from the master of the barque "Stanley" of Sunderland, his sailing register in July, 1874, when the said master was in the act of preparing his vessel for the survey and repair under the superintendence of Lloyd's surveyors?
§ SIR CHARLES ADDERLEYSir, the Stanley sailed from Sunderland in July last, and, having struck on a rock off Filey, ran back into the Tyne. The Board of Trade surveyor inspected her, and reported that she was unfit to go to sea without repair. Having reason to believe that she was about to be patched up and sent for repairs to Sunderland, he reported this, and the Board of Trade detained her. Instead of putting a Customs officer on board, the Collector of Customs, for the convenience of the owner and to save expense, obtained her certificate of registry, and held it while she was being repaired under Lloyd's surveyors. The Board of Trade surveyor did not interfere, but reported when repairs were sufficiently well done, upon which the certificate of registry was returned. All fees and expenses were remitted, and she went to sea again. The House will therefore see that the real facts of the case are the reverse of what is implied by the statement which the hon. Member has received, and which has remained about a fortnight on our Notice Paper.
§ MR. GOURLEYsaid, in consequence of the hon. Baronet's Answer, he should take an early opportunity of calling the attention of the House to the question, simply to put the House right in respect to the facts of the case, and to show that since the Question had been on the Paper there had been four counts out.