§ MR. PLIMSOLLasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether he will consider the advisability of keeping some officer in attendance at the Board of Trade Offices in Whitehall during the night, to act immediately upon such telegrams as may arrive from Board of Trade Surveyors at the Ports, asking for instructions in cases in which ships are apparently dangerously overloaded and which are about to go to sea in that condition?
§ SIR CHARLES ADDERLEYSir, the office-keeper and porter remain at the Board of Trade every night, and they receive any telegrams which arrive 142 from surveyors at night, and forward them immediately to the officer responsible for the subject of them, who is often so called up at night, and has sometimes himself to go on inspection of a ship going to sea. It would not be advisable, in the language of the Question, to have a staff of officers kept every night at Whitehall qualified to act themselves immediately on such telegrams.
§ MR. PLIMSOLLsaid, he should repeat his Question, because, on calling at the Board of Trade at night, he had found telegrams which would not have been delivered but for his calling.