§ Mr. E. C. GRENFELLasked the President of the Board of Trade whether in view of the complaints which have recently been made to the Board of Trade 901W of the treatment of officers of the mercantile marine by the examiners in the Port of London, especially by the conduct of one of them, he will state what are the respective ages of these examiners; how long is it since each of them, respectively, has been at sea; and what are the qualifications required of examiners and are they themselves periodically examined as to their knowledge of modern methods of navigation?
§ Dr. BURGINThe ages of the Board of Trade surveyors who have been employed in London as examiners of deck officers during the past 12 months are 62, 49, 53, 41, 38 and 39. These officers were last at sea in 1907, 1913, 1919, 1925, 1929 and 1929 respectively. All the Board's examiners have passed the examination for extra master and, with the exception of three recruited under an old system, passed a competitive examination before appointment. They continue to study methods of navigation after entering the Board's service, and their work is periodically inspected by the Board's principal examiner.