§ MR. HOWELL (Bethnal Green, N.E.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that nearly all steamers calling at Constantinople en route for England are so deeply loaded that the disc, or load line, is under water; and whether he will state what instructions (if any) have been issued by his Department to secure compliance with the provisions of the Load Line Act of last Session in foreign as well as in English ports?
§ *THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Sir M. HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.I am not aware of the existence of a practice of deep loading of British vessels at Constantinople, bat I have called for a Report on the subject. The hon. Member is, of course, aware that there is no power to detain a ship for over-loading at a foreign port, and if power were given by law, I do not know by what machinery it could be exercised. But the Board of Trade have issued instructions to Consuls, with the view of obtaining reports of cases in which load line discs are immersed; 1425 and, in case of necessity, a Consul has power to summon a Naval Court to deal with any specific complaint by superseding the master or discharging the seamen.
§ MR. HOWELLI beg also to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the case of the steamship Bedford, of Cardiff, eight of whose crew have been sentenced to a month's imprisonment at Constantinople for refusing duty, in consequence of the vessel in salt water being six inches on one side and four on the other below the load line; and if he will cause inquiry to be made into the facts and telegraphic instructions sent to Gibraltar, where the Bedford is expected to call, for her to be boarded at once and measured?
§ *SIR M. HICKS BEACHThe Board of Trade have no information in the case referred to by the hon. Member, but the Consul General at Constantinople has been requested by telegram to send a full Report. The captain of the port at Gibraltar reports that the Bedford sailed for Belfast on the 20th instant, and the Board of Trade have instructed their officer at that port to report upon the loading of the vessel on her arrival.
§ MR. HOWELLI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade why the steamer Lechmere, Captain Silke, was allowed to leave Barry Dock, 14th March, overloaded to the extent of six inches, as reported in the Standard of Saturday 22nd June, seeing that Parliament has given the Board of Trade authority to detain and lighten overloaded vessels; if he has seen in the Standard that Captain Whall, the detaining officer of the Board of Trade is reported to have stated that he had no power to stop her; and whether the Board has ample power to prevent overloaded ships from going to sea?
§ *SIR M. HICKS BEACHCaptain Whall the detaining officer at Barry informs me that he made no such statement as is attributed to him. He received a telegram reporting that the Lechmere was being taken to sea overladen, but he was not able to get on board and detain her. He, however, warned the master as the vessel was going through the dock gates that she was overladen, and that he (the master) 1426 was responsible if he took her to sea. As the hon. Member is aware, a penalty was subsequently inflicted. The Board of Trade have sufficient statutory power to prevent overladen ships from going to sea, but it may sometimes happen that, as in this case, there are practical difficulties in the way of exercising it.
§ MR. HOWELLIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the statement attributed to Captain Whall was given in evidence before the Magistrates at Bow Street?
§ *SIR M. HICKS BEACHYes; but the report was wrong.
§ MR. JESSE COLLINGS (Birmingham, Bordesley)Is not the fine imposed by the Board of Trade for overloading covered over and over again by the extra freight; is a fine of the amount usually imposed of any avail in preventing overloading; and have not the Board of Trade frequently detained vessels merely because they were overloaded?
§ *SIR M. HICKS BEACHThe Board of Trade does detain vessels for that reason. The fines were imposed, not by the Board of Trade, but by the Court before which the cases came.