The Board of Trade Guilty. 



169 



vision is impracticable (he requitements may be modifieil as the 

 Board may ihiiik right. (In order to give effect to this roconi- 

 mcndalion cliingcs in;iy be neces».iry in the sizes and types of 

 boats to be carried and in the metliod of stowing and floating 

 them. It may also be necessary to set apart one or more of the 

 boat decks exclusively for carrying boats and ririlling the crew, 

 and to consider the distribution of decks in relation to the 

 passengers' quarters. These, however, are matters of detail to 

 be settled with reference to the particular circumstance affecting 

 the ship.) 



9. That all boats should be fitted with a protective, continuous 

 fender, to lessen the risk of damage when being lowered in a 

 seaway. 



10. That the Board of Trade should be empowered to direct 

 that one or more of the boats be fitted with some form of 

 mechanical propulsion. 



11. That there should be a Board of Trade regulation 

 requiring all boat equipment (under Sections 5 and 6, page 15 

 of the Rubs, dated February, 1902, made by the Board of 

 Trade under section 427 Merchant .Shipping .\ct, 1S94) to be 

 in the boats as soon as the ship leaves harbour. The sections 

 quoted above should be amended so as to provide also that all 

 iMjats and rafts should carry lamps and pyrotechnic lights for 

 purposes of signalling. All boats should be provided with 



■ compasses and provisions, and should be very distinctly marked 

 in such a way as to indicate plainly the number of adult persons 

 each boat can carry when being lowered. 



12. That the Board of Trade inspection of boats and life- 

 saving appliances should be of a more searching character than 

 hitherto. 



13. That in cases where the deck hands are not sufficient to 

 man the boats enough other members of the crew should be men 

 trained in boat work to make up the deficiency. These men 

 should be required to pass a lest in boat work. 



14. That m view of the necessity of h.aving on board men 

 trained in boat work steps should he taken to encourage the 

 training of boys for the Merchant Service. 



15. That the operation of Section 115 and Section 134 (<() of 

 the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, should be examined, 

 with a view to amending the same so as to secure greater con- 

 tinuity of service than hitherto. 



16. That the men who are to man the boats should have 

 more frequent drills than hitherto. That in all ships a boat 

 drill, a fire drill, and a watertight door drill should be held as 

 soon as possible after leaving the original port of departure and 

 at convenient intervals of not less than once a week during the 

 voyage. Such drills to be recorded in the official log. 



17. That the Board of Trade should be satisfied in each case 

 before the ship leaves port that a scheme has been devised and 

 communical('ii to each officer of the ship for securing an etIVjient 

 working of the boats. 



18. That every man taking a look-out in such ships should 

 undergo a sight test at reasonable intervals. 



19. That in all such ships a police system should be organised 

 so as to secure obedience to orders, and proper control and 

 guidance of all on board in limes of emergency. 



20. That in all such ships there should be an installation of 

 wireless telegraphy, and that such installation should be worked 

 with a sufficient number of tr.ained operators to secure a con- 

 linuous service by night and day. In this connection regard 

 should be had to the leiolulionsof the International Conference 

 on Wircle-'S Telegraphy recently held uniler the presidency <if 

 Sir II. Babington .Smith. That where pra ticable a silent 

 chamber lor "receiving" messages should form part of the 

 installation. 



21. Tliat instruction should be given in all Steamship Com- 

 panies' Regulations that when ice is reported in or near the 

 track the ship should proceed in the dark hours at u moderate 

 -peed or alter her course so as to go well clear of the danger 

 ione. 



22. That the attention of Masters of vessels should be drawn 

 by the Board of Trade to the effect that under the Maritime 

 Conventions .Vet, 1911, it is a misdemeanour not to go to the 

 relief of a vessel in ili-iress when possible to do so. 



23. That the same protection as In the safety of life in the 

 cveiil of casualty which is afforded to emigrant ships by means 



of supervision and inspection should be extended to all foreign- 

 going passenger ships. 



24. That (unless already done) steps should be taken to call 

 an International Conference to consider and as far as possible 

 to agree upon a common line of conduct in respect of (a) the 

 sub-division of ships ; {i) the provision and working of life- 

 saving appliances; [c] the installation of wireless telegraphy 

 and the method of working the same ; (1/) the reduction cf 

 speed or the alteration of course in the vicinity of ice, and 

 ((") the use of searchlights. 



From these we indirectly sez the sins of omission 

 of the Board of Tr.tde. As Ion-.;, however, as there is 

 no change in the Marine Department all these 

 recommendations will have no real value. Let all 

 those interested in the inatter, therefore, concentrate 

 their efforts upon securing the following reforms at 

 the Board of Trade : — 



(i) That the Marine Department be made an 

 autonomous separate organisation. 



(2) That the department be placed under an 



energetic retired Admiral. 



(3) That the meetings and discussions of the 



Advisory Committee be published, and thus 

 a check instituted upon the decisions of the 

 shipowner interests constituting the majority. 

 Honestly, however, we do not think the ocean 

 travel reform will be placed to the credit of this 

 nation ; it is going to be brought about in America, and 

 because of the honest determination of one man over 

 there. Senator Smith. His report stated that while — 

 " By statute the United States accepts reciprocally 

 the inspection certificates of foreign countries 

 having inspection laws approximating those of the 

 United States, unless there is early revision of 

 inspection laws of foreign countries along the lines 

 laid down hereinafter, the committee deems it 

 proper that such reciprocal arrangements be ter- 

 minated, and that no vessel shall be licensed to 

 carry passengers from ports of the United States 

 until all regulations and requirements of the laws 

 of the United States have been fully complied with." 

 It is interesting to note that on June i4ih the 

 American Government put into fore ■ a regulation 

 ordering that — 



" Ocean steainers carrying passengers must be 

 equipped with sufficient lifeboat and life-raft 

 capacity to accommodate at one time all persons 

 on board, including passengers and crew. One- 

 half of such lifeboat and life-raft equiptnent may 

 be in approved life-ralts or approved collapsible 

 lifeboats." 



That was two months after the disaster ; two more 

 months have gone, and nothing is officially accom- 

 plished here. NVe are not ilisappointcd in the 

 report of Lord Mersey's Commission. We never 

 expected anything from it ; and we think that all 

 those who travel, anil who prefer honest endeavour 

 in the direction of reform to insincere endeavour to 

 accomplish nothing, will agree with us when we say 

 that the Hoard of 'I'rade must justify itself and reform 

 itself, otherwise, Lord Mersey's report notwithstanding, 

 there will be such a cleaning of the Augean stables 

 as will astonish the l^npire. 



