HC Deb 03 June 1913 vol 53 cc780-1
61. Mr. COOPER

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has received any information that will enable him to state whether the whaling steamer "Scotia," fitted out by the British Government in conjunction with some of the principal steamship lines, has returned to St. John's, Newfoundland; whether he has official information showing that the vessel is unsuited to the duties to which she was appointed by reason of the following defects: that she is unseaworthy and has insufficient engine power; that her wireless equipment is incapable of communicating with vessels on the southern ocean track; that she cannot carry sufficient coal to enable her to make a prolonged cruise for the purpose of surveying those portions of the ocean where field-ice is to be expected; and that the scientific members of her staff are seriously hampered in their work by her want of stability which prevents proper work being done with scientific instruments; whether he will state the amount of the expenditure in connection with the ship to the latest available date; and what share of it is borne by the British Government?

Mr. BUXTON

The "Scotia" left St. John's, Newfoundland, on the 23rd April, and has just returned to that port, so that she has been at sea continuously for over five weeks, engaged in carrying out her duties in reporting ice. The vessel is perfectly seaworthy, and I have no reason to believe that she is unsuited for the purposes for which she was intended. As regards her wireless equipment, I would point out that it was not proposed that she should communicate with vessels on the southern ocean track, but that she should be in communication with the land wireless stations on the coast of Newfoundland or Labrador, whence the information received is disseminated. A number of valuable reports in relation to the ice which is approaching the steamship routes have been received from the "Scotia" The expenditure on the ship up to the 7th May is approximately £6,725. Half the cost of the expedition is being paid by His Majesty's Government.