MR. McLAREN (Staffordshire, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that on the 15th instant the boats "Ben Machree" and "La Marguerite," carrying large numbers of passengers from the Isle of Man to Liverpool, began to race on approaching port and came within a few feet of one another; and whether, in view of the fact that a collision was narrowly averted, he will take steps to put a stop to this dangerous practice.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. CHURCHILL,) DundeeYes, Sir. My attention has been called to the matter to which my hon friend refers, and I have communicated with the owners of both vessels concerned. I trust that no further ground for complaint will arise, but any instance of improper navigation which infringes the collision regulations will be severely dealt with.