222 Steam Boiler Legislation. [April, 



either in the interest of the steam user or the public at large, 

 that that inspection should be undertaken by the Board of 

 Trade or any other department of the Imperial Government, 

 as such a course would, it is feared, be a source of annoyance 

 to the steam user, and hamper progress. 



The above proposition needs but little to be said in its 

 support, as the view is so generally entertained that an en- 

 forced system of inspection administered by the Government 

 would be irksome and obstructive. Without any disrespect 

 to the Board of Trade or any other department of the 

 Government, it is thought that such a system would have a 

 tendency to be always behind the times. As improvements 

 were made from day to day, the system would require to be 

 constantly modified, which it is thought with a Governmental 

 administration it would be difficult to accomplish. 



Proposition No. 5. 



That while the administration of a system of enforced in- 

 spection should not be committed to the Imperial Govern- 

 ment, neither should it be committed to municipal govern- 

 ments, nor to private inspecting associations, insurance 

 companies, boiler makers, or others, as there would then be 

 no guarantee for the virtue of the inspection. That con- 

 ducted by town councils would be liable to be biassed by 

 party interests, while the practice of one municipality would 

 vary from and contradict that of another. That conducted 

 by private associations and companies, and more especially 

 by private individuals, would be irresponsible ; and as those 

 who gave the greatest license would get the greatest number 

 of fees, the certificates would soon become worthless and 

 degenerate into a sale of indulgences, so as utterly to defeat 

 the object in view of promoting the public safety. 



In support of the proposition that the practice of one 

 municipality would vary from and contradict that of another, 

 a brief extract may be given from the report presented to 

 the last meeting of the British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science on the subject of Steam Boiler Explosion 

 Legislation. "The science of boiler making is progressive; 

 it is in a transition state, and in spite of the amount of in- 

 formation constantly disseminated, great ignorance prevails 

 with regard to it. In consequence of this, one corporation would 

 declare a boiler safe which another corporation would declare 

 unsafe ; so that a boiler carried by rail from one part of the 

 countryto anothermight be counted safeat thebeginningof its 

 journey, and unsafe at the end. For instance, in Lancashire, 

 the practice of strengthening flue tubes at the ring seams, 



