§ MR. E. T. GOURLEY (Sunderland)I beg to ask the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he will be good enough to inform the House how long it took the troopship Tamar to reach Cape Town after leaving Queenstown on the 7th July last; whether it is a fact that she carried in all 1,100 souls, or 200 more than would have been allowed under Board of Trade regulations; if the troops carried comprised in the first class 32 officers, with 10 wives, and 15 children, total 57, berths being allotted for only 48, leaving 9 unprovided for, who had to sleep on the mess tables or saloon; whether, in the second class, there were three married officers, with their wives and children, together 16, whilst berths were allotted for only 6, leaving 10 unprovided for; whether, in the third class, there were 786 men, for whom only 725 berths or hammocks were allotted, leaving 58 unprovided for, besides 34 women and 52 children, of whom 22 were unprovided for, being stowed on the floor and lockers; whether it is true that the sanitary condition and ventilation were so bad that vermin made its appearance early on the voyage; and will he state whether any of the officials have been held responsible?
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. EDMUND ROBERTSON, Dundee)The Tamar is no longer in commission. In her last voyage she took 28 days from Queenstown to Table Bay. She left England with 1,167 souls on board. The Board of Trade Regulations do not apply to the ships of the Royal Navy, including troopships. In the first class, there were 32 officers, 10 ladies, and 16 children, counting, according to custom, as 49½ adults, for whom 49 berths were provided, one child being under one year of age. In the second class there were 4 officers, 3 wives, and 10 children, counting as 12 adults, for whom there were 10 berths and 2 hammocks. In the third class, the Tamar had accommodation for 810 noncommissioned officers and men; 781 were 1380 embarked, each one being provided with a hammock and a blanket. There were also 35 women and 63 children, counting as 62 adults, for whom 46 berths were provided, as 28 children were under five years of age, and 10 under one years of age. No report had been received of bad sanitary condition, bad ventilation, or vermin on board the Tamar. The Director of Transports is responsible for the arrangements of the Transport Service.