§ MR. W. H. HOLLAND (Salford, N.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the large number of boiler explosions which have lately occurred, causing great loss of life and destruction of property, he will consider the desirability of introducing a Bill making it compulsory on steam users to have their boilers duly inspected from time to time?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. J. BRYCE, Aberdeen, S.)I have no certain information as to the number of boilers in use in the United Kingdom; but assuming it to be between 150,000 and 200,000, the proportion of explosions is now as it was in 1871, about one in 2,000 per annum. In 1871 the Select Committee on Boiler Explosions reported against the introduction of any system of compulsory inspection, one of their reasons being, that a great number of these explosions arise from causes independent of, and apart from, anything that could be prevented by periodical inspection. Having regard to this opinion expressed by the Committee, and to the enormous magnitude of the task which would be thrown upon the State, were it to undertake the duty of periodically inspecting all boilers, much consideration would be needed before introducing such a Bill as my hon. Friend appears to contemplate.