§ MR. BIGGARasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether it is the fact that five hundred men are daily employed on the pier and harbour works at Haulbowline, Queenstown; whether these men are carried to and from the works in open boats during the darkest mornings and evenings regardless of the state of the sea; and, whether he will give instructions to the superintendent of the works in question, with a view of 1718 securing a safer means of transit for these men in future?
§ SIR THOMAS BRASSEYAbout 450 men are employed at Haulbowline. They are conveyed in open boats provided by the Admiralty. The distances traversed vary from three quarters of a mile to a mile and a-half. The navigation is entirely by river, or in the most sheltered part of Queenstown Harbour. The present arrangements have existed over 15 years. No complaint has been made to the Admiralty, and no accident is known to have occurred. The Government do not intend to take any action.