§ (1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, every British ship registered in the United Kingdom which carries fifty or more persons shall be provided with a wireless telegraphy installation, and shall maintain a wireless telegraphy service which shall be at least sufficient to comply with the rules made for the purpose under this Act, and shall be provided with certified operators and watchers at least in accordance with those rules.
§ (2) In reckoning the number of persons carried on a ship for the purpose of this Section, persons shall not be counted who are exceptionally and temporarily carried on a ship—
- (a) as the result of force majeure; or
- (b) as the result of the necessity of increasing the number of the crew to fill the places of members of the crew who are ill or disabled; or
- (c) as the result of the obligation on the part of the master to carry shipwrecked persons, or persons in like circumstances; or
- (d) if so provided by rules of the Board of Trade, as cargo hands for a part of the voyage not being between one continent and another, and not being, during the time the hands are carried, outside the limits of latitude thirty degrees north and thirty degrees south.
§ (3) If this Section is not complied with in the case of any ship, the master or owner of the ship shall be liable in respect of each offence to a fine not exceeding five hundred pounds, and any such offence may be prosecuted summarily, but if the offence is prosecuted summarily the fine shall not exceed one hundred pounds.
§ Mr. HOLTI beg to move, to insert, after the word "Act" ["subject to the provisions of this Act"], the words "within six months after the date on which any rules made in accordance with Section 16 of this Act become valid."
The Government have an Amendment substantially to the same effect. The only difference is that the Government Amendment puts the period as not less than six months after the making of the rules, that is the date on which the rules are first published. But the rules are first to lie on the Table for forty days, and under the terms of the Government Amendment it might be quite possible for a shipowner to be obliged to comply with the rules, and subsequently to find the rules disallowed by Parliament. Therefore I submit that the form in which I put the Amendment is the proper one.
Mr. ROBERTSONIf the rules were disallowed by Parliament, of course that would make an end of the whole matter. Perhaps the hon. Member would be satisfied with the assurance which I can give him that we propose to insert in another place a provision delaying the operation of this Act as regards all these powers, and that that provision will be made after consultation and agreement with the shipping interests.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
Mr. ROBERTSONI beg to propose, at the end of Sub-section (1), to add the words "Provided that the obligations imposed by this Section shall not come into operation until such date not being less than six months after the making of those rules, as may be specified in the rules."
§ Amendment agreed to.
Mr. HAMILTON BENNI have Amendments down to Clauses 16 and 17, but I do not propose to move them, having regard to the assurance which the Parliamentary Secretary has just given.
Bill read the third time, and passed.