The following is the text of the report of the committee appointed by the Board of Trade to consider the question of boats, rafts, and life-saving apparatus carried by sea-going merchant ships: — " Liverpool, 25 October, 1886.

" MY LORD,—Having been appointed by the Board of Trade a committee to inquire into and report to the President on the boats, rafts, and life-saving apparatus carried by sea-going mer- chant-ships, and having obtained all the infor- mation we could get from practical seamen con- nected 'with the passenger-lines sailing from London, Liverpool, and Glasgow, such as the masters of the ships and marine superintendents belonging to the different companies, and having visited a number of ships in order to ascertain whether they were capable of stowing more boats, &c., without unduly interfering with the work- ing and navigation of the vessels, and also having inspected, and in many cases put to practical test, numerous patent boats, rafts, and life-saving apparatus, we have the honour to report as follows:— " The reference to us includes the sufficiency or otherwise of boats, rafts, and life-saving appa- ratus carried by all sea-going merchant-ships, and we are further instructed to report whether, in our opinion, the boat scales in the Merchant Shipping and Passenger Acts are adequate at the present time; and, if not, in what respects we think those scales can be improved. We are also instructed to especially consider and report upon the question whether, in addition to the boats which can be carried at davits ready for lowering, any further effectual provisions for saving life in emergency can be made by means of rafts, folding-boats, deck-fittings, or in any other manner, without encumbering the ship's decks to the prejudice and danger of those who have to work the ship.

" For the sake of convenience, we propose to divide all sea-going merchant-vessels into six classes, and to deal with each class separately with reference to the questions we are asked to report on; but before doing this we would like to make some general observations on the subject of boats.

" The boat scales in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, and Passenger Act, 1855, were framed upwards of thirty years ago to meet a different state of things than now exists. At that time nearly the whole of the passenger-traffic was carried on by wooden sailing-ships of about 1200 to 1500 tons burthen. The boat scales were framed on the basis of the ship's registered tonnage, which in those days of sailing-ships gave a very good idea of the vessel's size'and of her capabilities for stowing boats, &c., but now the sailing-ships have entirely given way to iron or steel steam-ships of two or three times their size, and the deductions for propelling power are so large in many cases that the registered tonnage gives no indication as to the Teal size of the ship, and therefore cannot be a guide as to her capability for stowing boats, &c.

"We think that the time has passed when boat scales should be regulated solely by ton- nage, and regardless of other equally or more important considerations. We wish to point out the great difficulty and expense of altering ships in order to make room for more boats. Had the law compelled all ships to carry sufficient boats and life-saving gear, such as rafts or folding- boats, for all on board, as we are of opinion it should have done from the first, the shipowners would have felt very little inconvenience, and ships would now be carrying the same number of passengers as they do, because the ships would have been built and equipped with this end in view; but it would be a matter of great expense and difficulty to alter the ships now so as to make them capable of carrying enough boats for all the passengers they carry.

"As regards boats for ocean-going steamers carrying large numbers of passengers, we think they would be of little use in saving life (although they may for a time prolong its existence) unless succour is at hand from other ships, or from proximity to shore.

" It is obvious that though boats may save life for the moment, they can but prolong its existence for a tifme equivalent to the quantity of stores and fresh water they can carry for each person on board. In the Atlantic in winter, for instance, persons in boats would suffer greatly, and pro- bably die of starvation or exposure, unless their ship was lost in the track of other vessels, which would, we fear, probably not be the case, unless an ocean track is decided on both outward and homeward for all vessels crossing the Atlantic between the United Kingdom and the ports in North America.

" The fullest and most complete equipment of boats and rafts can be of hut little avail if a collision] or casualty happens to a ship which, owing to the absence of efficient bulkheads, sinks in a very short time, and before it is -possible to lower the boats. In fact, it appears to us that efficient boat accommodation, though an im- portant thing in itself, is but one of several im- portant things or conditions which must all be present to make the whole an effectual means of saving life in case of disaster. Thus the efficiency of boats in saving life is dependent first on the securing of means to get them all safely into the water in rough weather; in constructing the ships themselves so that they may be expected to keep afloat for a reasonable time after col- lision, or striking on a rock, or sunken or floating wreck; in providing as far as possible that vessels carrying a large number of passengers shall make their voyages by frequented tracks; in the capacity of the boats themselves to carry pro- visions and water, and in providing the boats with sea anchors (and oil) or other means to keep them head to sea, as they cannot be navigated when crowded with people, and further, their usefulness in emergency depends to a great extent on the fact that there shall be some person in each boat capable of managing her and of con- trolling her occupants.

" With these preliminary remarks qualifying all that follows, we proceed to report on all sea- going merchant-ships.

" CLASS A.

" Passenger steam-vessels making short voy- ages or excursions.

" These vessels sail under a Board of Trade Steam 3 certificate, and are considered sea- going ships. They are employed in making excursions (for the most part pleasure excur- sions), and are only allowed to sail in fine weather and daylight, and in the summer mouths. The amount of boat accommodation these vessels are compelled to carry is at pre- sent regulated by the boat scale in the Mer- chant Shipping Act, 1854, which as before said, is based on the vessel's registered tonnage. The allowance of boat room for each adult by the Board of Trade regulation is fixed at 10 cubic feet. We have taken an average of fifty vessels of this class sailing from the Liverpool districts, and we find that the amount of boat accommodation they are forced to carry by the existing scale in proportion to the number of people they are allowed to carry by the Board of Trade certificates is 7 • 6 per cent., whilst the amount of boat accommodation they actually do carry is only 10-5 per cent.

'' As a rule they carry no other life-saving gear beyond life-jackets for the crew of the Life-boat and a few life-buoys.

" Thus it will be seen that the boats carried by this class of vessels are quite inadequate as an effectual means of saving life if a disaster happens when the full complement of passen- gers are on board. These vessels ply in compara- tively crowded waters, and in near proximity to the shore, and we think should be provided with means for keeping all the people oi board afloat in the water for a couple of hours, such as patent folding-boats, rafts, deck-seats, life- buoys, &c., &c. These should all be on deck, and no life-saving gear be allowed to be carried below the deck. We do not think the boats for these vessels could be increased to any great extent without interfering with the people on board, but we see no reason why they should not carry sufficient floatable gear on deck for all.

" CLASS B.

" Passenger vessels in the coasting-trade and those making short voyages across the Channel to the Continent of Europe, or those running between England and Ireland or the Channel Islands.

" These vessels carry Board of Trade Steam 2 Home Trade certificates, and as they perform the ferry service between England and Ireland and the Continent, are an important class in this inquiry. They do not make very long voyages, and run in comparatively frequented waters.

They are allowed to run all the year round, and in any weather, and at night time.

" The amount of boat accommodation they are forced by existing laws to carry is governed by the boat scale in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, the same as in Class A. From an average of fifty vessels in this class sailing from the Liverpool district, we find that the amount of boat accommodation they are forced to provide, in comparison to the number of passengers they are allowed to carry by their certificates, is 13 • 1 per cent., whilst the amount they actually do provide is 16 • 1 per cent. As a rule these vessels carry very little other life-saving gear beyond the life-jackets for the crew of the Life-boat and a few life-buoys. The boats carried by this class are also quite inadequate as an effectual means of saving life should a disaster occur when the full complement of passengers are on board.

" These vessels are better equipped and of a stronger build than those in Class A, and we think could with ease carry more boats. We would propose that the boat scale should be increased 50 per cent., and that life-saving gear in the shape of either collapsible boats, rafts, or raft-seats, should be carried sufficient, with the increased boat accommodation, for all the people on board.

" We do not think it possible for these vessels to carry sufficient boats for all the passengers they are allowed by their certificates to carry, without materially interfering with the naviga- tion and working of the ship.

" CLASS C.

" Passenger steam- vessels trading to the Mediterranean and other short foreign-going voyages.

" These vessels carry a Board of Trade Steam 1 certificate, and are well equipped ocean-going vessels. The boat accommodation they are forced to carry is governed by the same scale as in Classes A and B. We have taken an average of fifty in this class sailing from the Liverpool district, and find that they carry more than enough boat accommodation, but we wish to point out that this is merely from the fact that there are so few passengers going by these vessels that the owners do not think it worth while to have them measured for more. Should occasion require, these vessels would measure for hundreds more passengers than they have boat accommodation for, and would by the present law be allowed to carry them, without making any increase to their boat accommoda- tion.

"Therefore, should a vessel in this class chance to have on board as many people as she would measure for, her boats would be quite inadequate as an effectual means of saving life.

We think that the boat scale in this class should be increased 50 per cent., provided that no ship need carry more boats than will accommodate all on board, and we think the owners should be strongly urged to increase the means of saving life, by providing either more boats, or collapsible boats, or approved rafts, so that with the in- creased boat accommodation, sufficient means for saving life may be carried for all on board.

" Deck-seats, life-buoys, or jackets we do not consider as effectual means for saving life in any other than crowded waters, such as channels, rivers, lakes, &e., or when in close'proximity to land.

" CLASS D.

" Passenger steam-vessels carrying emigrants and others to the southern and western ports of South America and Africa, and also to the Asiatic and Australasian ports, either through the Suez Canal, or round the Cape.

" The boat accommodation for these vessels is governed by the same scale in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, when not sailing with emi- grants under the Passengers Acts. Those sailing under the Merchant Shipping Act only, such as the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Donald Currie and Company, the Union Company, and some others, carry now, we believe, sufficient boat accommodation for all the passengers they have on board, but, as we pointed out in Class C, they could, if occasion required, carry hundreds more than they have boat accommodation for. We would recommend that these vessels have their boat accommodation increased 50 per cent, when sailing under the Merchant Shipping Act only, and 100 per cent, when sailing nnder the Passengers Acts, provided always that no ship need carry more boats than are sufficient for all on board; and we would further recommend that the owners be strongly urged to provide their ships with life-saving gear in the shape of collapsible boats or approved rafts, &c., so that with the increased boat accom- modation, each ship carried sufficient life-saving apparatus for all on board of her.

" CLASS E.

" Passenger steam vessels carrying emigrants or others across the Atlantic to ports on the east coast of North America.

"Considering the number of vessels employed in this trade, and the large number of passengers they carry, and also taking into consideration the stormy character of the ocean they have to cross, and the thick and foggy weather en- countered, we think this class is the most im- portant of any, and we cannot pass over the fact that of late years this traffic has been carried on with remarkable immunity from loss of life.

" The boat accommodation these vessels are forced to carry when sailing with emigrants is regulated by the scale in the Passengers Act, 1855, which provides for boat accommodation for 216 people as a maximum, so that supposing a vessel leaves with 1,000 passengers and 200 crew under the present statutory requirements, she need only carry sufficient boat accommoda- tion for 216 of these people. Thus it will be seen that the boats carried by this class of vessel are also quite inadequate as an effectual means of saving life should a disaster happen to a ship with her full complement of passengers on board.

We are glad to be able to say that there are many liberal and careful ship-owners who do all in their power to provide for the safety of their passengers by equipping their vessels with boats far in excess of the number required by statute. But at the same time there are others carrying large numbers of emigrants who do no more than they are required to do by law.

" We have gone into this question with refer- ence to this class of vessel very fully, and have visited many of them, and we think that the boats required by Act should be increased 100 per cent., and in addition to them that the owners should bo induced to carry sufficient collapsible boats and approved rafts, so that each ship shall have sufficient life-saving gear for all on board at any one time, provided, as said before, that no ship need carry more boat accommodation than is sufficient for all on board at that time.

" We believe that in nearly all the ships of this class room for the extra boats could be found with very little trouble and expense beyond the cost of the boats and their fittings, and we would recommend the plan, where pos- sible, of carrying the boats on skids across the beam of the ship, where they are available for either side.

" CLASS F.

'•Sailing and steam cargo vessels, i.e., those that do not carry more than 12 passengers.

"The boats for these are regulated by the scale in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, and are quite sufficient, and in many cases more than sufficient, for all the people they carry, and the allowance of boat room is the same, viz., 10 cubic feet for each person, as in all other vessels; but these vessels often navi- gate unfrequented waters, particularly the sailing ships, which are often weeks without meeting another vessel. Should a disaster hap- pen to one of them the people in the boats would probably be days before being picked up, and would consequently want provisions and water for a longer time than if the casualty took place in more frequented waters; we there- fore suggest that the allowance of boat-room for each person be increased from 10 to 15 cubic feet in order to give more room for the stowage of provisions.

" As the foregoing report will show, the boat scales in the Merchant Shipping and Passengers Acts are, in our opinion, quite inadequate, excepting in the case of all cargo vessels, where they are adequate, and in many cases more than adequate.

" We are of opinion that any increase of these boat scales would be an improvement, but, if not increased so that the boats shall be sufficient for all, we respectively decline to suggest a partial increase unless it is supplemented by other effectual means of saving life; so that in the aggregate there is sufficient life-saving gear in each ship for all on board at that time.

" We are also of opinion that the boats re- quired by the Acts can be supplemented by other folding boats or rafts to the greatest ad- vantage, and we would recommend for favour- able notice Berthon's collapsible boat and Boper's bridge raft, as being, in our opinion, the best of the kind that we have seen.

" We have, &c., " W. BROUGHTON PBYCE, "W. COWIE, "H. G. WILCOX.

" To the Kight Hon. the Lord Stanley of Preston, President of the Board of Trade." Shipping Gazette and Lloytfs List, 16 May, 1887..