§ 14. Mr. STURROCKasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now in a position to say what progress has been made with the consideration of the new regulations respecting the Plimsoll line proposed by Sir Philip Watts' Committee; whether these regulations are now before the Merchant Shipping Advisory Committee; and whether this House will have an opportunity of discussing them before they are finally adopted by the Board of Trade?
Mr. WEBBThe load line rules prepared by Sir Philip Watts' Committee have recently been examined by technical representatives of the Board of Trade and 1120 of the Classification Societies, and the report of these experts has been forwarded to the Classification Societies for their consideration. As soon as the replies are received, the draft rules will be submitted to the Merchant Shipping Advisory Committee. When the draft is finally settled, Papers will be laid before Parliament, showing the rules in the form in which it is proposed to make them, and ample time will be allowed to elapse before they are put in force.