Page 14 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

Sir Robert Findlay: And I doubt whether any great advantage would be derived from a general discussion of the Rules and Regulations at present without regard to the particular case, the circumstances of which have not been fully disclosed. The Attorney-General: The only point is that we could have got on with the evidence that will be forthcoming with regard to the Rules and Regulations. Some evidence will have to be given as to what has taken place in regard to that matter; and if we cannot proceed because Witnesses are not here to put before the Court, it occurred to me that we could usefully employ the time by calling Witnesses to prove these Rules - not to discuss them. We shall have to discuss them, of course, hereafter. The President: What do you mean by proving the Rules? The Attorney-General: I think your Lordship will have to hear something about the Rules more than mere formal proof. I mean to say as to the history of the Rules - what has been done at various times. The President: Do the Rules need to be proved? The Attorney-General: I think probably some evidence will be useful. They will not need to be proved, but it is desirable that you should be told what has happened with regard to them. I attribute no importance to calling that evidence at any particular time; the only thing is that I thought you would be anxious that no time should be lost that could be usefully occupied, and therefore that we should proceed as far as we could; but I quite agree with my learned friend that the discussion of them must necessarily be postponed until a later stage, when your Lordship has got the evidence before you. I did not mean to indicate that there should be a discussion; it was only a question of proving what has happened. The President: What do you propose to do now, Mr. Attorney? The Attorney-General: I did not propose to do anything further today. There is one matter which, I think, might be dealt with today - I am not sure that it can be satisfactorily disposed of or considered - but it may be that there are persons here today who desire to be represented, and who wish to make an application. I do not know whether your Lordship thinks it would be convenient that they should do that now, if they are here, or that it should be postponed and dealt with altogether tomorrow. We have not had notice of them at present, but whoever is here and wishes to give notice it might be desirable that he should do it. I said we had not had notice. I think we have had notice from one, but who it is I do not know. A notice was handed to the Attorney-General. The Attorney-General: This is apparently notice on behalf of the National Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union. Mr. Thomas Scanlan, M. P.: I have to apply, my Lord, on behalf of the National Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union of Great Britain and Ireland, and the personal representatives of a number of their members who were members of the crew, and on behalf of a certain number of their members who are survivors, to be represented in the terms of Rule 5 of the Statutory Rules and Orders to which Sir Rufus Isaacs has referred. Rule 5 is in these terms: “Any other person may, by leave of the Judge, appear, and any person who appears under this Rule shall thereupon become a party to the proceedings.” In the terms of that Rule, and on behalf of this Union, which represents 80,000 sailors and firemen, I respectfully make this application. Mr. W. M. R. Pringle, M.P.: My Lord, I desire to apply to the Court for leave to appear on behalf of the Ship Constructors’ and Shipwrights’ Association. That Association represents a large body of men who are engaged, not only in the construction of ships, but who are employed in the manning of ships, and they are consequently interested in this Inquiry from two points of view; first of all, from the point of view of the construction and equipment of ships, more especially in relation to life-saving, and, secondly, in relation to the manning of ships for the purposes of life-saving. It seems to me that, both of these considerations are relevant to certain of