§ 72. Mr. PETOasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the opinions expressed by the medical officers of various port sanitary authorities, at the Sanitary Congress which concluded at Blackpool on the 10th instant; whether he is in agreement with the principle that the plans of inhabited quarters of all new vessels should be submitted to and approved by the port sanitary authorities; and, if not, what steps he proposes to take to render the regulation and inspection of them by his Department to be of such a nature as to insure that reasonably sanitary quarters shall be provided for all seamen in the British merchant service in future?
Mr. ROBERTSONMy right hon. Friend has seen references in the public Press to statements made at the Sanitary Congress, but he has not yet received a report of the proceedings at that congress, or had an opportunity for properly considering them. As at present advised, he is inclined to doubt whether it would be practicable to compel plans of the inhabited quarters of new vessels to be submitted to local sanitary authorities. As regards the last part of the question my right hon. Friend does not think he can add anything at present to the full statement which he made in the House recently in the Debate on the Board of Trade Vote.