§ MR. NANNETTITo ask the Secretary to the Board of Trade if he can state how many shipowners have adopted the scale of provisions for merchant ships recommended by the Mercantile Marine Committee; whether he can state the reason why the scale recommended by this Committee has not been generally adopted; and whether it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to introduce a Bill this session making the scale recommended by the Mercantile Marine Committee compulsory.
(Answered by Mr. Bonar Law.) I am unable to state how many shipowners have 430 adopted the scale of provisions recommended by the Mercantile Marine Committee, but I find that out of 3,647 merchant vessels registered and engaging crews in the United Kingdom in the year 1904, 380 adopted that scale. Although this scale has not been more generally adopted I find that a similar scale was inserted in the articles of 1,691 vessels. As at present advised the Board of Trade are not prepared to introduce legislation for the purpose of making any scale compulsory.