Page 172 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 19 - 22

emigrant ship will be calculated on the tonnage, but at a greater proportionate rate. The Attorney-General: That is right. 22334. (The Commissioner.) A greater proportionate rate than the cargo ship. That is what it must have meant? The Witness: Yes, that is it. 22335. (The Attorney-General - To the Witness.) Now, that is what you mean, Sir Walter, is it? - That is exactly what I mean. The Attorney-General: Now, if you take the book your Lordship will see how that is carried out. The Commissioner: In which of these books is it? The Attorney-General: I mean the Rules made by the Board of Trade under Section 427 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894. The Commissioner: Very well. 22336. (The Attorney-General.) There your Lordship will find, if you look at page 4 of the book. “For the purposes of these Rules British ships shall be arranged in the following classes: Division A, Class 1, Steamships carrying emigrant passengers subject to all the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act; Class 2, Foreign-going steamers having passenger certificates under the Merchant Shipping Act”? - Quite so. “Class 3, Steamships having passenger certificates under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising them to carry passengers anywhere within the home trade limits, that is to say, between places in the United Kingdom, or between the United Kingdom and ports in Europe, between the River Elbe and Brest. Class 4, Foreign-going steamships not certified to carry passengers.” Those are all Division A. Those are steamers, and they are steamer emigrant ships, passenger ships, home trading passenger ships, and foreign-going steamers not certified to carry passengers. It deals with four. Then Division B is substantially the same thing with regard to sailing ships. Then Division C - The Commissioner: I do not think you need go any further. The Attorney-General: That is the basis upon which it is carried out. The Commissioner: Those are the classes the Witness referred to. 22337-8. (The Attorney-General.) Yes. Now, if your Lordship will turn to page 6 you will see how it is done; at any rate you will understand the principle upon which it is done, whatever the view may be about it. Page 6: “Division A, Class 1. Rules for steamships carrying emigrant passengers subject to all the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act.” This is the one which applies to the “Titanic” which has already been referred to. This is the one which makes the most demands on steamships to carry boats. Then it is continued right through. The Witness: May I interrupt one moment. The leading principle running through all that is the tonnage Table. 22339. The Table at page 17? - That is it, and the basis of that Table you will see is tonnage. If you follow it right through you will see Sir Walter is quite right. It is all based on tonnage. The Commissioner: Oh, yes. 22340-1. (The Attorney-General.) But, of course, the number decreases - The Witness: May I interrupt. In some of the divisions and classes you will see they go away from the principle of tonnage rather, and adopt the principle of lives on board. This is what I have been trying to explain to you. Let us pass to the first cargo boat. 22342. Which is that: Division A, class 4, “Foreign-going steamships not certified to carry passengers,” on page 8? - Let me read that. 22343. (The Commissioner.) If you look at that, a boat of that kind which is not designed for passengers at all is to carry sufficient boats to accommodate all passengers on board? - Quite. Mr. Edwards: Apparently, my Lord, according to the reading of it, it has to carry sufficient