HC Deb 09 May 1899 vol 71 cc147-8
SIR FORTESCUEFLANNERY (Yorkshire, Shipley)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to a recent case in which one of the apprentices on board a British ship died at Diego, and to the correspondence that has passed between the Board of Trade and the late captain and officers of that ship; whether he has considered the possibility of a captain in a foreign port exercising his authority to work members of the crew and young apprentices excessive hours in discharging cargo and supplementary duties; and whether, having regard to the conditions of climate in the tropics and of apprenticeship on British vessels, he will introduce legislation or make regulations under existing Statutes to limit the hours of labour in discharge of cargo at foreign ports to be worked by apprentices who are under the factory age standard, and who correspond in that regard to young persons who come under the provisions of the Factory Act.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. RITCHIE,) Croydon

Yes, Sir, my attention has been called to the case to which my honourable friend refers, in which an apprentice (Mr. R. King), of the Khyber, died of fever in the hospital at Diego Suarez. The Board of Trade have been in communication with the owners of the vessel, and have obtained statements from the master, officers, and several of the crew, including the apprentices. It appears to be usual at a port like Diego (where labour is scarce) to employ the crew and apprentices in discharging cargo, the lightest work being allotted to the apprentices. From all I can learn, Mr. King was not in any way ill-treated, but his work was, no doubt, trying, and he does not appear to have been sufficiently robust to bear the strain of it in a hot climate. I greatly regret the sad occurrence, but the Board of Trade have no power under existing Statutes to make regulations limiting the hours of labour of ship apprentices, and I am not prepared to propose legislation on the subject. I may mention that Mr. King was sixteen years of age, and, as my honourable friend is aware, a certificate of fitness under the Factory Acts is only required in the case of young persons under sixteen.