§ MR. WILLIAM REDMONDI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if there is any rule regulating the number of apprentices to be carried by sailing ships in proportion to the total number of the crew, and whether he is aware that in the case of the "Primrose Hill" there were twelve apprentices, five of whom had never before been to sea, and that the jury, at the inquest held on the victims of the "Primrose Hill" disaster, declared that in their opinion the ship was lost through, amongst other things, having too many apprentices on board.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThere is no rule regulating the number of apprentices in proportion to the whole crew of a vessel. The finding of the court of inquiry, which on such a question I regard as more authoritative than that of a coroner's jury, did not ascribe the loss of the vessel to the inadequacy of her crew, either with regard to the number of apprentices or otherwise, but expressed the opinion that the managing owner would have been better advised if he had more closely considered the fact that five of the apprentices had not been to sea before. As a matter of fact, as I have already informed the hon. Member more than once, the manning of the "Primrose Hill" complied with every statutory requirement, and with either of the scales recommended by the Manning Committee.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMONDMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is aware that this vessel carried twelve apprentices, five of whom had never been at sea? Will the Board of Trade, in order to promote safety, consider the advisability of making arrangements limiting the number of inexperienced first voyage apprentices to be carried by ships of this description?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI see no necessity for it.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMONDI shall call attention to this matter on the Board of Trade Vote.