§ Mr. W. THORNEasked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the Board of Trade inquiry into the loss of the coasting steamer "Zelia"; if he is aware that the Court found that the cause of the loss of the vessel and loss of life was that the vessel left Garston laden in excess of her winter load-line; and if he intends restoring the old load-line that was existing before 1906?
Mr. BUXTONI have received the Report of the Court of Inquiry in the case of the "Zelia," and find that one of the causes of the loss was that the vessel was laden in excess of her winter load-line as fixed by the present regulations. I am, as I have already informed the House, appointing a Committee to consider the question of the load-line tables, but the question whether those tables should be revised or not is not necessarily affected by cases in which the loading limit fixed by those tables has been exceeded.