§ Colonel IVOR PHILIPPSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he proposes to appoint any representatives of seamen and firemen on the Departmental Committee appointed to consider the question of the load line of ships; and whether the proceedings of the Committee will be public and the Press admitted to them?
Mr. BUXTONThe questions and calculations involved in the determination of the freeboard of vessels are of a highly technical character, and the Load Line Committee has been so constituted as best to deal with these questions. It appeared to me that it would be inconsistent with the character of the proposed investiga-170W tion to form a Committee representative of particular interests, and I do not therefore propose to add to the Committee representatives of particular interests. It will, of course, be open to those concerned to furnish evidence to the Committee. I am informed by the Committee that they have very fully considered the question of the admission of the Press to their meetings. Having regard to the object in view, namely, to arrive at the facts relating to the operation of the revised Tables of Freeboard of 1906, the Committee specially desire to obtain free and unfettered evidence from all classes of seafarers and others having experience in the matter. They are unanimously of opinion that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain this evidence if it had to be tendered in public, and it would be a great misfortune if valuable experiences of the kind indicated could not be freely placed at the disposal of the Committee. The Committee do not propose, therefore, that their proceedings shall be public and the Press admitted to them. I may add that in adopting this course the Committee are following the usual practice.