§ MR. GOURLEY (Sunderland)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the melancholy loss of life following the recent stranding of the steamer Quetta in the Torres Straits, and which is attributed to the non-marking of the rocks upon the Admiralty chart where the vessel struck; whether ho has communicated with the Admiralty upon the alleged omission, with a view to an immediate re-survey of the Straits; and whether it is his intention to appoint a Select Committee to inquire into and report upon what alterations are necessary for safe navigation in the construction of bulkheads, alike in ships of the mercantile marine and Her Majesty's Navy?
§ * THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Sir M. HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.No official information of the wreck of the Quetta has so far reached 705 the Board of Trade, and consequently no communication of the kind indicated has been made to the Admiralty. It appears from certain newspaper reports referring to the wreck that the Local Government have instituted a search for the rock upon which the vessel is alleged to have struck. The Board of Trade have already appointed a Special Committee of experts to consider and report upon the question of the efficient sub-division of merchant ships by means of watertight bulkheads, with a view to contribute to the safety of life at sea. The hon. Member for North Belfast will act as Chairman of the Committee.