HC Deb 08 February 1895 vol 30 c308
MR. GIBSON BOWLES

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, whether he possesses the means of giving, and, if so, whether he will give as an unopposed Return, a Return showing the total losses of British ships, specifying the causes of loss, for each year from 1844 to 1894 both inclusive?

MR. BRYCE

I possess no material which would enable a Return to be prepared which could have any claim to accuracy. Previous to the year 1874–5 the record of casualties to British ships was incomplete, and was kept, not for statistical purposes, but to afford information for use in connection with the lighting and charting of the coasts of the United Kingdom. The returns of wrecks for 1874–5 and subsequent years, tabulated according to the cause of loss, are contained in the wreck abstracts which are annually presented to Parliament.

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