Mr. POINTERasked the President of the Board of Trade the number of seamen who have been drowned by being washed overboard and the number of ships which have foundered each year since the alteration of the load line; and also the numbers of men and ships drowned and foundered, respectively, for each year during the same period before the alteration of the load line?
Mr. BUXTONI will give the particulars asked for in a printed answer as they are too voluminous for a verbal answer. But I am sure that my hon. Friend will be glad to learn that the figures are most satisfactory, and that the comparison of the two periods he asks for shows a substantial diminution in loss of life. The number of masters and seamen reported as having been drowned by being washed overboard, during the four years previous to the alteration of the load line, namely, 1903–1906 inclusive, was 257. The corresponding figure for the four years 1907–1910 inclusive was only 163. The number of vessels lost in the respective periods was 201 before the alteration, and only 144 since the alteration.