§ 1. Mr. DAYasked the President of the Board of Trade whether there are any Regulations issued by his Department requiring that shipowners or masters should see that the drinking water and biscuits stored in lifeboats are changed at regular intervals; and can he give the particulars?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister)Section 430 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, requires that all the lifesaving appliances on a ship (which would include the equipment carried in the boats), must be "kept so as to be at all times fit and ready for use"; but there is no specific requirement as to the intervals at which the water and biscuits have to be changed, or at which the other items of the equipment in the boats have to be renewed.
§ Mr. DAYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether the statement made that the water was stagnant and that the biscuits were so hard that they could not be eaten has any foundation?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo, I cannot, and I really would ask that no questions should be put or answered on that subject until we have had the full Board of Trade inquiry.
§ Mr. DAYIs it the right hon. Gentleman's intention to introduce any Regulations to see that water is changed regularly and that biscuits are changed also?
§ Mr. MACLEANIs there anything contained in the Regulations which lays 1878 it down that periodical inspections of these things have to be made, to ensure that these things are kept in such a way that they can be used?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThat certainly is implied in the Regulations, which lay down categorically that every part of the equipment has got to be ready for use—and that means effective use—at all times.
§ Mr. MACLEANBut is there any periodical inspection?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo, but if you lay down that every officer who is responsible for the conduct of a ship has to keep the whole of the equipment at all times ready for use, that implies that he has to see that at all times it is SD ready.
§ 7. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can now give further particulars of the proposed international conference on safety of life at sea, which he has stated is being arranged to take place next spring; where is it proposed to hold this conference; and which of the nations will be invited to send delegates?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERIt is proposed that an international conference should meet in London next April to revise the International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea which was signed in London in 1914. The proposals of the Board of Trade on the main subjects covered by that Convention are shown in the White Paper No. 51–166 of 1927. Invitations to the Conference are being issued to the Dominions and to India, and to Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.
§ 8. Sir CLEMENT KINLOCH-COOKEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the recent disasters at sea caused by distressed vessels having no means of calling for help and vessels having no means of hearing a call, he will make it compulsory that all ships should be fitted with wireless transmitting and receiving apparatus, have at least one qualified operator on board, and a continuous and efficient watch, human or automatic?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI am not aware that any recent disasters at sea have been caused by insufficient wireless apparatus on British ships. The establishment of uniform standards in the matter of wireless on all ships can only be effected by international action, and the question of establishing such international standards will be one of those to be considered by the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea which will meet in London in April next.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs it not a fact that in a recent disaster that occurred a ship that was near was unable to come owing to the fact that it was not supplied with wireless?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERBut the ship to which the hon. Gentleman refers was not a British ship.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEI am quite aware of that, but I am only anxious that all British ships should be supplied with wireless.
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThe British standards are extremely high. I am more interested in trying to secure that the universal standards should come up to our level.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKE rose—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Gentleman was given a very full answer.