§ 26. Mr. KELLYasked the President of the Board of Trade what report has been made by the deputy chief inspector of lifeboats as to the use of the Schermulz pistol-rocket apparatus; whether further experiment is being made as to any advantages the Schermulz pistol possesses for the firing of a stronger rope-line for the saving of life at sea?
§ Mr. W. GRAHAMThe deputy chief inspector of lifeboats is an officer not of the Board of Trade, but of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and I cannot say what report he may have made to the Institution on the subject of line-throwing appliances, or what experiments are being made by the Institution on this subject. In pursuance of the Rules made under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Line-Throwing Appliance) Act, 1928, the Board of Trade have tested and approved the Schermulz and other line-throwing apparatus for use in sea-going ships, but it would be improper for me to express opinions as to the comparative merits of particular devices.