§ MR. GOURLEYasked the President of the Board of Trade, If he has seen the Return of Loss of Life issued at the instance of the honourable Member for Manchester, showing the number of deaths from drowning in mercantile and non-mercantile waters of the United Kingdom to have been in 1879, 3,690 lives; if this includes the loss of life from sea-coast bathing, if not, if he can state what this was for the same year; and, if he can state what measures he intends adopting for the purpose of compelling local inland and sea-coast authorities at all public bathing places to provide boats, life-buoys, and watchmen during the bathing season?
§ MR. DODSONSir, the Return does not, as I believe, include the loss of life from sea-coast bathing; and there is not, as far I can ascertain, any information collected to show the extent of loss for the year to which the Return refers. At present there is no power to compel local inland and sea-coast authorities to provide boats, life-buoys, and watchmen during the bathing or any other season. These authorities can make bye-laws, subject to the approval of the Local Government Board, with respect to public bathing and the regulation of bathing machines; but they are not authorized to make any provision of this kind from the local rates, or to require that the proprietors of the bathing machines shall do so. This defect has been brought 1207 under the notice of the Board, who contemplate dealing with the matter whenever a suitable opportunity offers for amending the law.