§ MR. J. G. TALBOTasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether the result of the inquiry instituted by him into certain complaints made as to the accommodation and treatment of emigrants on board Atlantic steamships has been to satisfy the Board of Trade that those complaints are in the main without foundation; and, whether he has taken any steps to suggest to shipowners the advisability of making the additional precautionary arrangements referred to in his Minute contained in Blue Book recently presented to Parliament?
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORsaid, he would submit to the right hon. Gentleman the advisability of his postponing a definite answer to the first part of the Question until the Motion on the subject standing in the name of the hon. Member for Dungarvan (Mr. O'Donnell) was discussed.
§ MR. CHAMBERLAIN, in reply, said, he had already, in his Minute prefixed to the Papers before the House, expressed his opinion on the subject. That opinion was that, so far as Miss O'Brien's complaints against the shipowners and other persons connected with the trade were concerned, they were entirely disproved. As regarded the second part of the Question, he had already sent copies of the Report and suggestions 1382 of the Board of Trade to all the principal shipowners in the Kingdom, and had called upon them to submit any observations they had to make on the subject. There was no reason, he believed, to doubt that shipowners would not voluntarily adopt any precautions necessary to carry out the objects which the Government had in view.